Belgian Innovative Food Solutions

belgian innovative f d solutions

Editor: Fabienne L’HoostAuthors: Nicolas Preillon & Wouter DecosterGraphic design and layout: OskarDCOPYRIGHT © Reproduction of the text is authorized provided the source is acknowledgedDate of Publication: October 2015Printed on FSC-labelled paperThis publication is also available on the website of the Belgian Foreign Trade Agency: www.abh-ace.be


table of Contents

CHaPteR 1presentation of tHe seCtoR 4

seCtion 1

tHe food industRY, leadinG MainstaY of tHe belGian eConoMY 6

seCtion 2

eXPoRts - dRiveR of GRoWtH 8

seCtion 3

innovation at tHe seRviCe of tHe seCtoR 11

seCtion 4

10 Good Reasons to invest in belGiuM 16

seCtion 5

a vast netWoRK of staKeHoldeRs 20

CHaPteR 2sUCCess stoRies in belGiuM 28

category inGRedients

bioteCHnobel 30

CosuCRa 32

tauRa 34

category PRoduCtion eQuiPMent

fisCHbein 36

GdteCH 38

HiffeRMan GRouP 40

category coNSerVatIoN tecHNIQUeS

aGRisto 42

GalaCtiC 44

suPeRseC 46

CHaPteR 3DireCtory of CoMPanies 48

presentation f tHe seCtoR

presentation f tHe seCtoR

presentation of the sector

6

seCtion 1

tHe food industRY, leadinG MainstaY of tHe belGian eConoMY

Belgium boasts an exceptionally rich culinary heritage. The country’s gastronomy ranks among the most diverse and most highly rated in Europe. The love of good food is an in-tegral part of its national culture. Being gourmets and gourmands in equal measure, Belgians love spending time behind the cooking stove and sitting down to a copiously laden table in good company.

So it hardly comes as a surprise to find that this fondness of all things “cuisine” is also reflected in the country’s food industry. In addition to favourites such as beer, fries and chocolate as jewels in the Belgian culinary crown that need no further introduction, Belgium takes pride in the many successful businesses in a wide range of other subsectors.

KeY fiGuRes

The food sector holds pride of place in the Belgian eco-nomy, as illustrated by the key figures below, derived from the 2014 economy report from the Belgian food industry association FEVIA.

• Employment in the sector represented 73,219 FTE in 2014. Adding in spin-off jobs, this makes for a total of 186,707 FTE. The sector is the country’s leading indus-trial employer, representing 17.7 % of all jobs in in-dustry. Moreover, the food industry managed to affirm its 2013 employment level (up by +0.1 %), a marked contrast with the heavy losses seen in other manufac-turing sectors.

• Thenumberofbusinesses on the other hand has de-clined. Associated with the fact that employment levels are maintained, this fact is explained by a rise in the average size of the companies. For all that, the food in-dustry very much remains an SME sector at heart: 85 % of businesses in the food sector have fewer than 20 em-ployees, which holds true for all sectors combined.

• In2014,thesector’sturnover stood at 48 billion EUR, i.e. a very slight -0.4 % drop. The industry is under pres-sure due to the fall in the production prices further to the decline of the cost of raw materials. At constant prices however, turnover went up by 0.3 %.

• Furthertoanetfallin2013,investments bounced back significantly in 2014, reaching a record 1.3 billion EUR, or 21.4 % of all investments made by the Belgian man-ufacturing industry as a whole. The sector invested 2.71 % of its turnover, i.e. an investment intensity ratio that is well above the average ratio of industrial companies.

The data relating to foreign trade and innovation are ex-plored in greater detail in sections 2 and 3 respectively.

Jobs businEssEs TurnovEr invEsTmEnTs AddEd vAluE (2013) ExporTs TrAdE

bAlAncE

Food IndUSTRy 73,219 FTE 4,532 48 bn EUR 1.3 bn EUR 7.4 bn EUR 22.9 bn EUR 3.9 bn EUR

AnnUAl gRowTh RATE +0.1 % -2.3 % -0.4 % +11.9 % +1.6 % +2.1 % +11.8 %

ShARE oF ThE Food IndUSTRy 17.7 % 27.9 % 17.2 % 21.4 % 14.6 % 9.3 % (*)

Sources: FEVIA, DGSIE, NBB, NSSO, Eurostat (2015)(*) Share in total export of products (nC codes 1-99)

Chart 1: Key figUres 2014


7

stRonG suits

“These excellent results of the food industry were obtained thanks to the widely recognised quality of its production out-put, the diversity of the product ranges on offer and the un-relenting efforts brought to bear by the industry in the area of innovation”, FEVIA Chairman Bernard deryckere explains (in Belgian business newspaper l’Echo, 24 April 2015). The sector’s main strengths revolve around the three prime con-siderations set out below:

QualityFood chain safety and quality is deeply embedded in the practices of Belgian food companies. The system is based on compulsory inspections of applicable European standards in the area of hygiene. As such, Belgium enjoys global renown for the impeccable quality and safety of its foodstuffs, seen at every stage of the production process, from farm to fork.

diversityBelgium is a small country at the crossroads of various culinary traditions. Inspired by consumers who are epicur-eans as well as demanding, the range of food products avail-able on the market is typified by impressive variety. The country’s worldwide reputation was initially carved out around 1,500 breweries and 320 chocolatiers. Thanks to its competitive and highly dynamic businesses, today the Bel-gian food industry abounds with products in every category imaginable (dairy products, meat, fruit, vegetable and cereal preparations, confectionery, etc.).

innovationBelgian products are first and foremost recognised and rated for their artisanal character steeped in tradition. how-ever, it is also worth highlighting the R&d efforts and the science and technology that drive the sector. Belgian busi-nesses are seen to keenly focus on innovation and widely embrace state-of-the technologies.

Various food multinationals are pouring substantial sums into research and development projects. Belgium also sup-ports innovation in SMEs through two regional clusters, Flanders’ Food and wagralim.

This sense of innovation is not only seen in the finished products, but also plays a key role right across the produc-tion chain. Belgium stands proud from its neighbouring countries thanks to the innovative solutions it delivers in a string of different fields which this brochure has bracketed into 3 main categories: ingredients, production equipment and conservation techniques (see page 27).

fooD.be

The “Food.be” concept was created in 2012 at the instigation of FEVIA. The brand was officially launched by HRH Prince Philippe (now King) in Los Angeles in June 2013 on the Belgian economic mission headed up by the Prince to the United States.

Since then, the federal and regional authorities have been supporting Food.be on a global scale as a brand name for Belgian quality food. Belgian em-bassies and economic attachés in every corner of the globe have been provided with a series of pro-motional tools.

The ambition of the Food.be is to introduce people to the excellence of Belgian food products. Adopt-ing the slogan “Small country. Great food”, the concept highlights the strengths of Belgian food: quality, diversity and innovation.

The Expo Milano 2015 World Exhibition, dedicated to the global food challenge under the header “Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life”, served as the perfect platform to propel the “Belgian food” brand into the international limelight, thanks to Food.be - Small country. Great food.

STARTINGPOINT

3-TIERSTRATEGY

WE ARE PROUD OF THE BELGIAN FOOD SECTOR

GROWTH

BRANDINGCOMPETITIVENESS

LABOR MARKET

THE WORLDWIDE REFERENCEPOINT FOR EXCELLENCE IN FOOD

DIVERSITY INNOVATIONQUALITY

Most robust and fastest growing industry in BE

2

3

1

SUSTAINABLEGROWTH

EXPORTBOOST

EXCELLENCEIN FOOD

BRANDING

COMPETITIVENESS

LABOR MARKET


8

seCtion 2

eXPoRts - dRiveR of GRoWtH

The Belgian food sector proved much more impervious to the economic crisis, compared against the other sectors of trade and industry. The growth rate of the industry’s ex-ports may have lost momentum (2.1 % in 2014), but re-mains well above the performance of total Belgian exports (1.2 % in 2014).

In 2014, Belgian food and beverage exports stood at an es-timated 22.9 billion EUR according to the national concept, representing 9.3 % of all Belgian commodity exports. Ex-ports represent half of the food industry’s total turnover.

Imports represented 19.0 billion EUR, resulting in a record positive trade balance of 3.9 billion EUR, up by 11.8 % com-pared against 2013. In addition, the trade balance has been rising continuously since 2011.

The community concept factors in the transits and the in-ternational distribution centres, whose added value is gen-erally weaker. This concept has the benefit of providing a similar basis for comparison for all EU Member States.

figUre 1: evolUtion of the foreign traDe of the fooD seCtor (in billion eUr)

Sources: FEVIA/NBB-INA (national concept), NC codes 02, 03, 04, 07, 09, 10, 11.15 to 22 (2015)

“apart from

product exports,

the export of

belgian know-how

and the foreign

development

of businesses

established in

belgium

need a boost.”

FEVIA – Sustainability Report 2013-2015

figUre 2: export growth

Sources: FEVIA /NBB-INA (national concept), NC codes 02, 03, 04, 07, 09, 10, 11.15 to 22 (2015)

TRADE BALANCE

IMPORT

EXPORT

0

20002001

20022003

20042005

20062007

20082009

20102011

20122013

2014

5

10

15

20

25

30

TOTAL

FOOD SECTOR

-20%-25%

2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

-15%-10%-5%0%5%

10%15%

20%


9

nATionAl concEpT communiTy concEpT

Food sEcTor

(bn Eur)

ToTAl Economy (bn Eur)

shArE oF ThE Food

sEcTor

Food sEcTor

(bn Eur)

ToTAl Economy (bn Eur)

shArE oF ThE Food

sEcTor

EXPoRT 22.9 246.3 9.3 % 27.5 356.2 7.7 %

IMPoRT 19.0 251.7 7.5 % 23.0 340.8 6.7 %

TRAdE BAlAnCE 3.9 -5.4 4.5 15.4 29.2 %

Sources: Belgian Foreign Trade Agency/NBB (2015)

Chart 2: share of the fooD inDUstry in belgian foreign traDe in 2014

figUre 3: territorial spreaD of exports

UNITED KINGDOM2004

2014

GERMANY

NETHERLANDS

FRANCE

REST OF THE WORLD

REST EU-28

REST EU-15

ITALY

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Source: FEVIA (2015)

aCCoRdinG to CountRY

Belgian food exports continued to be largely aimed at the European Union, with Belgium’s immediate neighbouring countries as the focal points. France, the netherlands and germany are its top three buyers, jointly representing 57.0 % of its exports. The European Union as a whole buys 85.2 % of the Belgian food products consumed outside of Belgium.

In the meantime, overseas exports are on the rise. In 2014, this stood at 14.8 % of total Belgian food exports, which rep-resents a marked 12.5 % increase compared against 2013.

The United States of America are unquestionably its biggest overseas export market. The rude health of the American economy has seen its sales on that market soar by 17.4 %, reaching 458 billion EUR. Exports to Russia on the other hand are losing momentum, showing a 30 % fall compared against 2013 as a result of the recurrent tensions with the European Union, and now lag behind exports to Japan. next up are Brazil, Algeria and China, three countries where Bel-gian food industry exports are enjoying impressive growth rates of +31.9 %, +80.4 % and +23.6 % in that order.

According to this concept, Belgian food exports were worth 27.5 billion EUR and imports 23.0 billion EUR, which makes for a 4.5 billion trade balance surplus. By way of compar-ison, the total Belgian trade balance surplus for 2014 stood at 15.4 billion, to which the food industry contributed for 29.2 %, which is substantial.

FEVIA’s aim is to step up the turnover of the Belgian food sector by 6 billion EUR between 2011 and 2015, of which 5 billion EUR is to derive from export growth. In addition, the industry association is eager for the sector to continue to deliver a positive contribution to Belgium’s trade balance.


10

figUre 4: overseas exports aCCorDing to CoUntry (in million eUr)

BRAZIL

RUSSIA

CHINA

ALGERIA

JAPAN

USA

0

2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

50100150

200250300350400450500

Sources: FEVIA (2015)/NBB-INA (national concept)

aCCoRdinG to PRoduCt GRouP

The main export product of the Belgian food industry is meat. dairy products, food and vegetable preparations, cer-eal preparations and beverages are also seen to turn in a strong performance. These five categories jointly represent 55.5 % of total Belgian food industry exports.

Exports vary substantially depending on the geographical destination. Exports to the two highest ranking Belgian customers, France and the netherlands, are evenly divided across the various product groups. For germany, meat ex-ports represent the lion’s share. For Italy, dairy products are the main ingredients in the product mix whilst exports to the United Kingdom chiefly consist of fruit and vegetable preparations.

The overseas export markets cannot get enough of Belgian traditional export products: chocolate products and bever-ages, with beer as a particular favorite. dairy products as well as some less well-known products such as starch products are seen to be doing well too.

figUre 5: breaKDown of exports aCCorDing to proDUCt groUp

VEGETABLES

BEVERAGES

CEREAL PREPARATIONS

MEAT12.8%

10.2%

9.7%

8.0%

5.9%

3.7%

1.9%

1.3%

12.7%

10.1%

8.6%

5.9%

4.2%

3.3%

1.8%

FATS AND OILS

COCOA AND COCOA PREPARATIONS

FRUIT AND VEGETABLE PREPARATIONS

DAIRY PRODUCTS

COFFEE, TEA AND CONDIMENTS

CEREALS

SUGAR AND CONFECTIONERY

MISCELLANEOUS PRODUCTS

FISH

MEAT AND FISH PREPARATIONS

STARCH PRODUCTS

Source: FEVIA (2015)


11

Innovation does not stop at coming up with the design of an original product. As defined in the European community survey on this topic (Community Innovation Survey or CIS), it is also about introducing products (or services), manu-facturing processes, organisation methods or marketing techniques that are either new or significantly enhanced.

seCtion 3

innovation at tHe seRviCe of tHe seCtoR

The food industry currently faces many challenges such as the scarcity of resources, the increasingly more exacting and varied demands of consumers, the issue of staff skills and mounting competitive pressure at international level. Innovation is vital to make sure Belgian businesses remain competitive.

“by intensively working

together on innovation, food

companies can improve their

competitiveness.”

Erwin Lamot, Manager Flanders’ Food

“our economic success in recent

years has been directly linked

to the investments made in

innovating our products, but also

in our manufacturing processes.

thanks to these innovations,

consumers have a highly

varied range of premier quality

products to choose from.”

FEVIA – Sustainability Report 2013-2015

The first two categories (product and process innovations) are usually banded together under the header of “technolo-gical innovations”, whereas the latter two are often referred to as ‘non-technological innovations’. In line with current trends, initiatives aimed at driving back the impact of activ-ities on the environment (reducing resource waste, ob-serving certified specifications, promoting biodiversity, local sourcing, etc.) also rank as innovations.


12

innovation level

when it comes to innovation in the food industry, Belgium is seen to outperform its neighbours. 35 % of Belgian food and beverage producers have introduced (at least) one product innovation between 2010 and 2012. The same proportion of producers have launched process innovations. In this re-spect, the superiority over the neighbouring countries is even more marked. In the area of marketing or organisa-tional innovation, 46 % of Belgian food industry companies have broken new ground.

Belgian companies have also managed to cash in on this particular strength by turning it into commercial success. As such, 7 % of the food industry turnover derives from products that are new to the company and 5 % from products that are new to the market. however, these ratios fall below those seen in the neighbouring countries.

figUre 6: share of proDUCers who have introDUCeD innovations (2010-2012)

ORGANIZATION AND/OR MARKETING INNOVATION

NETHERLANDS

FRANCE

GERMANY

BELGIUM

PROCESS INNOVATION

PRODUCT INNOVATION

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%5% 15% 25% 35% 45%

35%35%

46%

22%30%

39%

25%22%

40%

27%29%

35%

Sources: Fevia (2015)/Eurostat CIS 2012 Survey

figUre 7: share of the tUrnover Deriving from new proDUCts

Sources: FEVIA (2015)/Eurostat CIS 2012 Survey

INNOVATIVE FOR THE MARKET

NETHERLANDS

FRANCE

GERMANY

BELGIUM

INNOVATIVE FOR THE COMPANY

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25%

19%18%

13%8%

11%2%

7%5%


13

figUre 8: DomestiC expenDitUre on r&D (in million eUr at CUrrent priCes)

Source: Belspo (July 2015)

R&d

The amalgam between innovation and R&d is easy. R&d can be a com-ponent of an innovation process, as well as other activities like technical, marketing, organizational, financial or commercial operations. Innovation has above all to fulfill the needs of users while R&d is about the work on specific projects to expand the cur-rent knowledge on a particular topic.

According to the last report of Belspo (Belgian Science Policy office), the Belgian food industry (manufacture of food products and beverages - nACE codes 10 &11) spent 162.4 million EUR in 2013. This amount represents an increase of 38% since 2009.

Expressed in percentage of sales rev-enue, these R&d expenses represen-ted 0.34 % in 2013.

Staff dedicated to R&d in food sector companies increased by 10% between 2010 and 2011 and reached about 1,180 FTE. This volume remained stable in 2012 and 2013.

figUre 9: DomestiC expenDitUre on r&D (in % of sales revenUe)

Source: FEVIA/Belspo (2015)

figUre 10: staff DeDiCateD to r&D in the fooD seCtor (in fte)

Source: Belspo (2015)

2013

2012

2011

2010

1,000 1,040 1,080 1,120 1,160 1,2001,020 1,060 1,100 1,140 1,180

1,180.8

1,178.9

1,177.9

1,071.8

2013

2012

2011

2010

0.34%

0.35%

0.32%

0.33%

2009 0.30%

0.27% 0.28% 0.29% 0.30% 0.31% 0.32% 0.33% 0.34% 0.35%

2013

2012

2011

2010

162.4

164.6

146.1

134.1

2009 117.9

0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180


14

PRojeCts

Partnerships are a must in order to develop or implement innovations. The main obstacles to stand in the way of innov-ation - lack of time, lack of financial resources and lack of human capital - may be overcome by pooling and sharing re-sources in collaborative efforts.

Innovation and research & development projects are set up at various levels: local, regional, federal, cross-border and European. The aim of these projects is to create synergies between companies operating in the food industry. In most cases, other players too (such as research centres and uni-versity laboratories) are invited to climb on board.

At regional level, the projects are mounted at the initiative of two Belgian innovation platforms: wagralim and Flanders’ Food. Since the two organisations were set up, they have racked up a track record of around 80 innovative projects aimed at SMEs and scientific institutions.

The parties involved in such consortiums remain the owners of the results of the projects, enabling them to harness these fruits for industrial/commercial purposes. There are two types of projects. For one thing, there are platform projects that set up a long-term network of partners, harnessing a broad, varied and complementary skill base. These platform projects are situated at a precompetitive stage. Their aim is to develop know-how and technological tools that will prove useful to all stakeholders concerned. on the other hand, there are the so-called applied projects that graft themselves onto the former category. They are more focused and are aimed at specific markets. They are developed as part of smaller-scale partnerships and take their cue from solutions

developed within the platform projects so as to come up with products or technologies that can be marketed.

Also at Belgian level, R&d projects that are of interest to the food sector are seeing the light of day thanks to the BEl-SME programme.

on a European level, the directorate-general for health and Consumers (dg SAnCo) assists the European Commission with the implementation of the Union’s policies, in order to contribute to improving public health, the health safety and awareness in this area of European citizens. In order to attain these goals, specific programmes are set up to fund various projects and actions.

belgian health ingredients Group This project of the wagralim cluster which was initiated in 2012 leagues some twelve com-panies operating in the area of healthy ingredients and seeks to develop a joint approach to international marketing efforts.

Its “BhIg Expertise” label makes it easier for walloon SMEs that specialise in the production of naturally sourced food ingredients that have a nutritional impact and/or impact on health to enter the Belgian market and gain a foothold on foreign marketplaces.

www.bhig.be

eXaMPle at regional level


15

bEl-smE programme At national level, the origins of the BEl-SME programme go back to a request from the min-isters of Scientific Research to the institutions that provide funding for research to create synergies and to drive forward collaborations within Belgium.

Three regional institutions, the IwT (Flemish government Agency for Innovation through Sci-ence and Technology), Innoviris (Brussels Institute for Research and Innovation) and the dgo6 (the operational general directorate for the Economy, Employment and Research in wallonia) jointly set up the BEl-SME programme, a simple platform that encourages the development of R&d projects between Belgian SMEs from different regions.

In a concrete sense, the scheme revolves around the principles set out below: • acallforjointprojectsfromtheIWT,InnovirisandtheDGO6forinter-regionalR&Dpro-

jects originating with the SMEs • centralisedconsultationontheprojectstobefunded,organisedbythefundinginstitu-

tions, albeit with local assessments and funding.

www.innoviris.be/en/financial-aid-for-companies/inter-regional-aid/bel-sme?set_language=en

eXaMPle at national level

Food for life “Food for life” is a European technology platform (ETP) for the agri-food industry, which means plans for the needs and requirements of the industry in the area of research and development. The European Commission facilitates the establishment of such schemes for the promotion of innovation in Europe.

“Food for life” was launched on 5 July 2005 in Brussels. The participants have worked up an agenda and a detailed implementation plan. These documents outline the platform’s vision and strategy through research, training and dissemination activities by 2020.

Belgium is represented in “Food for life” by wagralim and Flanders’ Food.

eXaMPle at european level

nu-AGE nU-AgE’s full name is: “new dietary strategies that meet the specific needs of the elderly in order to ensure healthy ageing in Europe”.

The project pool is made up of 30 partners from 17 European countries, and includes nutri-tionists, immunologists, biogerontologists and molecular biologists from Europe’s most prestigious institutions.

with this research project, nU-AgE is seeking to raise the level of understanding of the ways in which diets have an impact or even counteract age-related disease and the decline of cognitive functions. The scheme will contribute towards improving the health and the quality of life of the elderly population in Europe.

www.nu-age.eu

eXaMPle at european level


16

seCtion 4

10 Good Reasons to invest in belGiuM

The Belgian Federal Public Service (Ministry of) Economy has outlined the strengths Belgium brings to the table to attract investments in 10 points. In 2014, the food industry invested a record amount of 1.3 billion EUR, which repres-ents 21.4 % of the investments made in the Belgian manu-facturing industry as a whole (source: FEVIA), which sees the sector being held up as a shining example to illustrate the advantages of Belgium to investors.

Further details: http://ib.fgov.be/en/

2013 2014 shArE 2014 chAnGE 2013/2014

1 UnITEd KIngdoM 799 887 20 % +11 %

2 gERMAny 701 763 18 % +9 %

3 FRAnCE 515 608 14 % +18 %

4 SPAIn 221 232 5 % +5 %

5 bElGium 175 198 5 % +13 %

…

ToTal EuropE 3,957 4,341 100 % +10 %

Source: EY

Chart 3: nUmber of fDi projeCts

1 >> oPen eConoMY

Belgian exports amount to more than 80 % of its national gdP. In 2014, Belgium was the 13th largest exporting coun-try in the world. Representing a sum of 22.9 billion EUR in exported goods, these exports see the food industry greatly contribute to this success (see section 2).

Belgium is a thriving marketplace that makes the most of its location at the heart of western Europe. home to a wide number of international organisations, Belgium is strongly integrated as part of the globalised world. In the 2014 leader board of the KoF Index, calculated by the Swiss EThZ (Federal Institute of Technology), which measures the openness of a country by assessing the economic, political and social dimensions of globalisation, Belgium ranks as the 3rd most globalised country in the world.

Even though direct foreign investment flows have fallen worldwide by 8 %, Europe attracted 4,341 projects in 2014, 226 of which were situated in the food industry, which makes for a 43 % increase compared against 2013. Bel-gium ranks as the 5th European country in terms of the number of projects. In 2014, the country hosted 198 of these projects, i.e. a 13 % rise up from the previous year.

“belgium is doing

well, with a 13 % rise

in projects […]. its

growth was chiefly

driven by expansion

projects.”

EY’s European Attractiveness Survey 2015

- Comeback time


17

4 >> aCCess to euRoPean deCision-MaKeRs

As a founding member of the European Union, Belgium has always played a decisive international role. Belgium hosts the nerve centres of the EU and nATo, as well as numerous headquarters of multinationals and major global players.

Along with about 120 international government organisa-tions, 181 embassies, over 5,000 diplomats and over 1,000 lobby groups, more international organisations are located in Brussels than in washington d.C.

5 >> toP-Class HuMan CaPital

The Belgian workforce has one of the highest productivity levels in the EU. Key factors contributing to this are the quality of the education system and people’s ability to speak multiple languages.

other desirable strengths are the flexibility, versatility and eagerness to learn of the country’s workforce in changing labour conditions and environments. The country’s con-structive industrial relations based on dialogue and con-sultation make way for a positive business climate. In addi-tion, 35 % of the labour force holds at least one higher education degree, well above the oECd average.

2 >> GateWaY to 500 Million euRoPean ConsuMeRs

Thanks to its central location in one of the most wealthy and developed regions in the world, the opportunities to ex-port from Belgium are numerous and varied. For instance, a staggering 80 % of Europe’s purchasing power lies within a 500-mile radius (± 800 km) from Brussels.

Belgium is also renowned as a consumer test market. If a product is successfully launched in Belgium, similar suc-cess can be expected in other European markets. Belgium is definitely your gateway to Europe and beyond.

3 >> loGistiCs sPRinGboaRd

Belgium’s dense interconnected transport network offers your business boundless options. whether you choose road, rail, sea, inland waterways, air or multimodal transport, you can be sure of a highly efficient distribution solution.

The logistics system is supported by world class telecom-munication and Internet infrastructures. numerous distri-bution centres are already established in Belgium, taking advantage of the low cost and the short distances to Europe’s major markets.

FRANKFURT

AMSTERDAM

300M

500M

LONDON

BRUSSELS

PARIS

AMSTERDAM

2h59FRANKFURT

1h50COLOGNE

1h47AMSTERDAM

ANTWERP

LONDON1h50

BRUSSELS

LUXEMBOURG

GHENT

CHARLEROI

LIÈGE

PARIS 1h22

LILLE

✈

✈

✈

✈

BEST TRAVEL TIMETRAIN CONNECTION


18

Thanks to these measures, the actual corporate tax rate can be significantly less than the nominal rate and less than that seen in many other countries. In addition, the ad-vanced tax ruling system provides legal certainty for in-vestors.

figUre 11: nominal anD effeCtive Corporate tax rate

ECTR 2012 (EFFECTIVE CORPORATE TAX RATE)

JAPAN

USA

FRANCE

GERMANY

NETHERLANDS

BELGIUM

NCTR 2012 (NOMINAL CORPORATE TAX RATE)

0 10 20 30 40 50

38,640,1

37,936,5

37,134,2

3128,2

2527,5

3426,3

Source: ZEW (Centre for European Economic Research, Manheim Effect Tax Levels, 2014)

This pool of talented human capital can help drive your company forward. Belgium’s highly-qualified workforce certainly meets the needs of an international workplace.

6 >> belGiuM GeneRates and attRaCts bRains

Belgium has 16 first class universities. Among them, seven are listed in the Shanghai Academic Ranking of world Uni-versities.

The strong national commitment to education makes the Belgian system one of the best for higher education and training (5th), maths and science education (3rd), business schools (2nd), and a propensity for on-the-job training that contributes to a high overall capacity to innovate (10th) ac-cording to the global Competitiveness Report 2013 - 2014.Belgium also has excellent research institutes and the quality of university-industry collaboration ranks 6th world-wide. Spin-offs and incubators are set up nationwide, boos-ted by the network of internationally renowned university research centres. As a centre of excellence, Belgium really delivers in crucial domains such as life sciences, nanotech-nology, biotechnology and renewable energy.

The food industry is not sitting idle, with a wide number of research centres, university colleges and university cam-puses all focusing efforts aimed at further strengthening this sector of the country’s manufacturing industry (see section 5).

7 >> CoMPetitive taX ReGiMe

Belgium has a unique tax regime. numerous corporate tax deductions are available, such as the notional interest de-duction and patent income exemptions, along with a very favourable tax system in place for expat employees.

Clearly Belgium is highly competitive when it comes to company tax.

For further details, see www.minfin.be or business.belgium.be.


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8 >> ease of settinG uP a business

Setting up a business in Belgium is quick and simple. It only takes four days and three start-up procedures to take off, making Belgium the fastest place in Europe to incor-porate a company.

The Federal-Regional liaison Unit for Foreign Investment ensures smooth cooperation between all the partners in-volved in supporting your investment project. Each of the three regions has its own agency to assist you with prac-tical matters relating to your investment.

9 >> affoRdable Real estate PRiCes

Belgian cities offer less expensive real estate than neigh-bouring European cities and the capital, Brussels, is signi-ficantly cheaper than other international centres such as Paris, london or Frankfurt.

According to the global occupancy Cost Survey 2014 from Cushman & wakefield, there is no other business city in western Europe that offers such affordable office space as Brussels.

figUre 12: total offiCe oCCUpanCy Cost (in eUr/m²/year)

LONDON WEST END

PARIS

LUXEMBOURG

MUNICH

AMSTERDAM

MADRID

DUBLIN

WARSAW

BRUSSELS

0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500

2122

895

777

540

506

485

439

395

393

10 >> a GReat PlaCe to live

Belgium enjoys one of the best “quality of life” standards in Europe, according to the International living Index. Its ma-jor strengths are the country’s commodious household liv-ing space, the advanced health care system, social ser-vices, green areas, the quality of the country’s education system and the presence of many excellent international schools.

Belgium is a vibrant country with longstanding cultural tra-ditions. world-class festivals and cultural events offer no end of opportunities to fill your social and cultural calendar.

From the hills of the Ardennes to the seaside resorts on the shores of the north Sea, the wide variety of landscapes provides great opportunities to enjoy nature. with a tradi-tion of fine food and more multiple-star restaurants per square kilometre than anywhere else in Europe, Belgium also offers visitors a delightful eating and dining-out exper-ience. last but not least, Belgian people are convivial and social; they love getting together on a café terrace to enjoy life.

Source: Cushman & Wakefield (2014)


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fedeRal aGenCies

Fps Foreign Affairs Supporting economic diplomacy is one of the basic missions of the Federal Public Service (FPS) Foreign Affairs. Together with all the other stakeholders the FPS Foreign Affairs strives to promote Belgian economic interests abroad. In this regard, promoting the Belgian food industry is a constant priority.

Through its global diplomatic network, the FPS Foreign Affairs supports the Belgian food industry in its search for new markets. At their demand, FPS Foreign Affairs joins forces with the relevant stakeholders and in particular the Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain (FASFC), in a bid to conclude essential phytosanitary agreements, facilitating market access for the Belgian food industry. More generally, together with all the relevant institu-tions it keeps an eye on all trade barriers that might hinder the Belgian food industry in its ambition to reach new markets.

For example, FPS Foreign Affairs pilots the Task Force established in the wake of the Rus-sian sanctions targeting the European food industry. As an instrument to enhance the ex-change of information between all stakeholders, to develop mitigating measures and to ex-plore new markets the Task Force has certainly won its spurs. different subgroups have been established to explore the potential of specific markets (gulf Region, China, etc.).

Furthermore, FPS Foreign Affairs support all efforts to promote the quality image of the Belgian food industry abroad. The food.be label lends itself perfectly to this kind of activities. Its embassies together with partners host numerous events where the exquisite quality of Belgian food is showcased. during economic missions, the Belgian food industry is always well represented, taking advantage to highlight their assets.

diplomatie.belgium.be/en

Section 3 on the topic of innovation highlighted the import-ance of establishing partnerships by way of joint projects. Belgium is home to a broad range of diverse stakeholders, lending the food industry the drive and dynamism it is known for. These stakeholders include federal agencies, regional agencies working to further exports and invest-ments, alongside competitiveness clusters, industry asso-ciations, universities, university colleges and research centres, international networks, without losing sight of the key players themselves: the businesses themselves.

seCtion 5

a vast netWoRK of staKeHoldeRs


21

FAsFcThe mission of the FASFC is to preserve the safety and the quality of food in order to protect humans, animals and plants.

The Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain (FASFC) was founded by the Act of 4 February 2000. It is a federal executive agency, which is responsible firstly, for the assess-ment and the management of risks that may be harmful to the health of consumers and/or to the health of animals and plants and secondly, for carrying out food safety controls throughout the entire food chain.

The FASFC integrates all control services, that are competent for the entire food chain. not only does it control foodstuffs, feeding stuffs, fertilizers and crop protection products, but it is also responsible for animal disease prevention and control and phytosanitary aspects (plant sector). drawing up the operational procedures for controls, certification and the in-frastructure standards companies active in the food chain have to comply with, is also a part of its mission. The FASFC also manages all communications with the operators and in par-ticular consumer information.

www.fasfc.be

ReGional aGenCies foR eXPoRts and investMent

Flanders Investment & Trade, AwEX and Brussels Invest & Export each promote their own region: Flanders, wallonia and Brussels. Their main assignments are threefold, which they are each free to achieve in their own way:

• Tosupportexportersfromtheregion• Toinform,prospectforandadvisepotential foreign investors• Topromotetheregionabroad

Alongside tax incentives, Belgian regions also grant companies significant financial incent-ives for recruitment, training, R&d, investment, consultancy and environmental protection.

Flanders investment & TradeFlanders Investment & Trade (FIT) provides provides professional advice to all foreign com-panies that are looking to start up or expand operations in Flanders. To make things even easier, FIT has a network of over 90 branch offices abroad that are available to provide assist-ance and advice. Their presence on the ground means that they are best placed to know what foreign investors require. In a more general sense, FIT helps companies wishing to invest in Flanders find the best location, get the right information and make the right contacts. FIT also offers assistance in applying for grants and other forms of aid, understanding Flemish and national regulations, etc.

www.flandersinvestmentandtrade.com I www.investinflanders.com


22

AwExThe wallonia Export & Investment Agency (AwEX) offers general expertise in international economic relations. This expertise ranges from promoting walloon exports through to seek-ing foreign investment (helping find suitable sites, explaining support measures and tax rules, and providing information on recruitment and staff training, project funding, etc). AwEX also provides a range of services to all walloon businesses seeking to operate at in-ternational level. however it is also the partner of choice for all buyers, importers and foreign prospects who are looking for a partner in wallonia and wanting to find products, equipment, technologies or services in the area.

outside of Belgium, AwEX can rely on an international network of 109 financial and business attachés, covering more than 120 markets and some 20 international organisations. These representatives are the key contacts locally for any business or public body wishing to de-velop a business or a partnership relationship with wallonia or simply wanting to find out about the economic potential of such a relationship. At walloon level, AwEX’s main partners are the competitiveness and technological clusters in particular.

www.awex.be I www.investinwallonia.be

brussels invest & Export Brussels Invest & Export works to promote foreign trade, assists Brussels companies, and attracts foreign investors to Brussels. It has built a database to help foreign investors with a specific project in mind find business partners in Brussels. Brussels Export has a foreign network of some 88 economic and trade attachés. Some of these are shared with FIT or AwEX.

Invest in Brussels specifically offers companies the opportunity to test Brussels as a busi-ness location for three months, providing them with free office space, secretarial services, facilities and professional advice from experts on suitable locations, support facilities, sec-tor-related issues and legislation at Brussels and federal level, etc.

www.invest-export.irisnet.be I www.investinbrussels.com

CoMPetitive ClusteRs

wagralimThe wagrAlIM Agri-Industry Competitive Cluster is a non-profit organisation funded by the walloon Region.

The cluster’s goals include improving competition between companies in the food industry, and boosting business and employment in the sector by:• bringingmanufacturerstogether• developingthespiritof innovationwithproductsandtechnologywhosequalitiesmeet

the needs of customers and the markets


23

• improvingtheprofitabilityofnetworksbyencouragingpeopletoworktogetherandnur-ture sustainability

• increasingproductioncapacityandthesizeofbusinessesbyenhancingtheirplace ingrowing markets and driving their sales skills and capacities.

To achieve these goals, sector manufacturers have defined 4 priority development areas which are health foods, innovative production and preservation technology, bio-packaging, and the development of durable food industry networks.

www.wagralim.be

Flanders’ FoodFlanders’ Food is the innovation platform/cluster for the (Flemish) food industry and its sup-ply chain. Mission: Flanders’ Food supports and facilitates the growth towards a more com-petitive, innovative and sustainable agrofood industry.

As a technology and science platform, Flanders’ Food supports knowledge development (ap-plied research projects), knowledge/technology transfer (the dissemination of results and know-how, organizing seminars), commercialization of the results into new products and/of processes) and networking at national and international level.• Qualityandsafety:sensorialaspects,microbiologicalqualityandsafety,shelflife• Sustainability: food losses, alternative (vegetable) proteins (local soy, algae, seaweed,

insects), valorization of co-products and waste streams• Healthydiets:foodforelderly,functionalfoods,nutritionalqualityoffoods(salt,sugar

and fat)• Technology:sensors,automation,robotics,mildpreservation,worldclassprocesses

Flanders’ Food, in cooperation with IlVo T&V, owns a Food Pilot: a semi-industrial pro-cessing, application and analytical center for testing and tasting new ingredients, products, processes and/or concepts.

www.flandersfood.com

industRY assoCiations

Agoria Food Technology club Agoria’s Food Technology club helps food technology companies in Belgium increase market share and profitability by identifying new clients and partners abroad. At the same time, it shows foreign organisations how the expertise and know-how of these companies can con-tribute to their success.

The Food Technology Club has the support of all three Belgian regional export promotion agencies and maintains excellent relations at the highest economic and political levels.

www.agoria.be/en/Food-Technology-Club


24

FEviAFEVIA, FEVIA Flanders and FEVIA wallonia have one goal: to contribute to a strong, compet-itive and sustainable food industry. To achieve this goal, FEVIA and its regional sister organ-isations work on the basis of an integrated vision, which acts as a driving force in the Belgian food industry.• FEVIA’s vision and strategy are determined by the members: involve• FEVIA gives advice to its members based on the strategy that has been determined: advise• FEVIA is a meeting place for its members to share experiences: network• FEVIA links up European, national and regional policies: link• FEVIA acts as spokesman for its members towards third parties: defend• FEVIA collaborates with other organisations to help implement the strategy: facilitate

FEVIA represents all companies and industry associations active in the production and pro-cessing of food and beverages. FEVIA counts 650 member companies including both large companies and SMEs, from local craft tradition to high volume production.

FEVIA defends the interests of the food industry at horizontal level and acts as interlocutor for political and socio-economic institutions. These horizontal matters are focused on nutri-tional policy, environment and energy, labour relations and a strategy for growth (competit-iveness and exports promotion). In addition to these priority areas, FEVIA undertakes moreover actions in all areas relevant to the companies of the food industry. These include innovation, agricultural policy, the avail-ability of raw materials, trade relations in the food chain, relations with the education sector and consumer behavior of food.

As to exports, FEVIA’s role is to promote the Belgian Food Industry as ThE worldwide refer-ence point for excellence in food: its quality, its innovative nature and its diversity. To that extend FEVIA launched the “Food.be - Small country. great food.” concept.

www.fevia.be

essensciaessenscia, the Belgian Federation for Chemistry and life Science industries, is a multisect-oral umbrella organisation that represents the many sectors of activities in the field of chemicals and life sciences.

essenscia includes nearly 800 companies representing more than 95% of the overall turnover in the sector. The association’s 60 experts provide information, services and tailor-made advice to its members.

essenscia’s 17 professional sections represent and promote interests specific to their re-spective sectors of activity.

www.essenscia.be

• INVOLVE• ADVISE• NETWORK

MEMBERS

FEVIAAS DRIVING

FORCE

• LINK• DEFEND• FACILITATE

THIRD PARTIES


25

Foodtechnologists.be Agoria’s Food Technology club helps food technology companies in Belgium increase market share and profitability by identifying new clients and partners abroad. At the same time, it shows foreign organisations how the expertise and know-how of these companies can contribute to their success.

www.foodtechnologists.be

Many Belgian universities and university colleges offer food industry-related degree courses and study programmes. The country is also home to various research centres that work in support of innovation in the sector.

universities

university colleges

research centres

univeRsities, univeRsitY ColleGes and ReseaRCH CentRes


26

otHeR belGian institutions

vlam Flanders’ Agricultural Marketing Board VlAM is a non-profit organisation that works to ad-vance the sales, added value, consumption and the public image of products and services of the Flemish agriculture, horticulture, fisheries and agri-food sector in Belgium and abroad. VlAM was set up by the food industry community and the Flemish government and actively works with as many players in the food chain as possible.

www.freshfrombelgium.com

inteRnational netWoRKs

FooddrinkEurope FooddrinkEurope represents Europe’s food and drink industry, Europe’s largest manufactur-ing sector in terms of turnover, employment and added value.

FooddrinkEurope works with European and international institutions in order to contribute to the development of a legislative and economic framework to further the competitiveness of the industry, food quality and food safety, consumer protection and respect for the environ-ment. FooddrinkEurope’s membership consists of 25 national federations, including 2 ob-servers, 25 European industry associations and 17 major food and drink companies.

www.fooddrinkeurope.eu

European Food AllianceThe European Food Alliance is a partnership made up of 10 European agri-food clusters, including Belgian organisations wagralim and Flanders’ Food. The aim of the alliance is to make available the expertise of a vast Europe-wide network to businesses in the agri-food industry, in order to facilitate and ramp up innovation and growth.

www.europeanfoodalliance.eu

world Food innovation networkThe woFIn is a global network of competitiveness clusters, laboratories and technology hubs which was set up by F2C Innovation in June 2010 and which wagralim forms part of.

The network aims to nurture the establishment of international collaborative projects op-erating in the field of agri-food innovation as well as to set up collective campaigns that train the spotlight on the innovations of its respective members. It pools the strengths of specialists in the areas of nutrition, food safety, innovative technologies as well as agricul-tural crops and sustainable development.


27

CoMPanies

The Belgian food industry numbers over 4,500 businesses. This volume represents 28 % of the Belgian industrial fab-ric, making it the leading sector in the manufacturing sec-tor. This publication focuses on the businesses that serve of the food industry and that yield a genuine added value up-stream of the actual production chain.

The second chapter of this publication brings 9 success stories of companies from the 3 regions. The third chapter is a non-exhaustive listing of innovative Belgian companies operating in the food industry, all of which are inventoried in three categories.

• Ingredients

Ingredients and additives are key elements in all finished food products. The choice of which ingredients and addit-ives to use may be inspired by any number of different goals pursued, to the benefit of the food industry, its customers or the end consumer: driving down costs, reducing production times, improving nutritional quality, texture, taste, etc.

naturally sourced food ingredients that offer nutritional or health benefits find it easier to gain a foothold on the mar-ket. This trend is reflected by the success stories included. Brussels-based SME biotechnobel, which specialises in enzyme solutions, purposively opts for biological rather than chemical processes. The cosucra group from the Tournai region is a world leader in pea proteins, which it prefers to refer to as an ingredient rather than as an addit-ive, a term that comes with chemical connotations and is therefore poorly perceived by consumers. olen-based com-pany Taura is a global player in the niche of concentrated & texturised fruit which is obtained by extracting water from semi-liquid fruit materials.

• Productionequipment

This category covers production technologies as well as manufacturing equipment (machinery, appliances, instru-ments, etc.) at every level in the chain.

global demand for innovative food technologies is consid-erable. Belgium is home to several companies that special-ised in the manufacture of production equipment. Compli-ance with applicable regulations and food safety standards is crucial in this respect.

our success stories include Fischbein, gdTech and the hif-ferman group. Fischbein, which is considered as the global standard in bag closures, especially for foodstuffs, has chosen Brussels as its European hub. GdTech, which is based at the liège Science Park, develops proprietary mi-cro-lEd lighting solutions for the horticultural industry. Kontich-based FAM, which is part of the hifferman Group, focuses on the design, development and assembly of cut-ting machines and is the undisputed market leader in Europe. Its sister company Stumabo is a typical manufac-turing company, producing blades for the food industry.

• Conservationtechniques

Using efficient preservation technologies gives products a longer shelf life, allowing for exports further afield whilst maintaining freshness and quality.

one business operating in this field is Agristo, a harel-beke-based family-owned SME. It is a manufacturer, and global service provider of frozen potato products for the private labels of supermarkets and the catering industry. next, we take a closer look at the Galactic group, produ-cing lactic acid through the process of fermentation, which then acts as a food preserving agent. Finally, we are intro-duced to Brussels-based company supersec and its tradi-tional drying technique to preserve the freshness of its foods that are harvested from exceptional ecosystems.

sUCCess st Riesin belGiuM

sUCCess st Riesin belGiuM

SUCCESS STORIES IN BELGIUM

30

enzYMes, GReen CHeMistRY

Set up in 2004 in Brussels by the Bathaei brothers, both highly qualified scientists who are passionate about biotechnology, Biotechnobel is a re-search and development company that specialises in enzymes and the application of enzymes in various sec-tors of the food industry.

“Enzymes are protein molecules that naturally occur in living organisms”, Saeid Bathaei explains. “They act as biocatalysts. In other words, they facil-itate biochemical reactions”.

Used in food manufacturing pro-cesses, they enable us to drive down the use of chemical substances. “En-zymes are all about green chemistry. They bring biological solutions that are both healthier and more power-ful”, Saeid Bathaei affirms, in the steadfast belief that enzymes have a great future ahead of them, and not just in the food industry. Biotechnobel’s first assignments came from the field of bread-making, with the major part of the company’s

activities continuing to go out to this area of expertise to this very day. The company perfected enzymatic formu-lations to improve the quality of bakery products. Its BIoPAn® range includes various mixtures of natural enzymes that are similar to those seen in cer-eals. Adding such mixtures to the flour helps bakers to correct the level of en-zymatic activity whilst also lending the dough a whole raft of benefits: elasti-city, consistency, uniformity of baking … The finished product is tastier and more easily digestible. These wins also translate into cost savings, with BIoPAn® giving bakers 10 to 15 % more bread using the same amount of flour and a longer shelf life which re-duces loss by 50 to 65 %.

Biotechnobel also develops enzymatic compositions for other sectors in the food industry such as fruit and veget-ables, meat and drinks.

innovation, a Question of balanCe

“In the food industry, everybody knows

CoMPanY

Biotechnobel

incorporated in 2004

based in forest (brussels)

2 employees

annual turnover: 150,000 to 200,000 euR

total R&d investments: 250,000 to 300,000 euR

share of export sales in turnover: 80 %

4 patents

CateGoRY

ingredients

ReGion

Brussels

inteRvieW WitH

Saeid Bathaei, Managing Director

enzymes are all about green chemistry. they bring biological solutions that are both healthier and more powerful.


31

which ingredients are being used”, Saeid Bathaei says. “Innovation oc-curs at a different level: at the design stage”. he draws a parallel with the construction industry, where how nice the house ends up looking depends less on the materials chosen than on the work of the architect. “For our work with enzymes, which is ulti-mately sensitive living matter, the se-lection of the combinations, the

dosage and observance of the operat-ing conditions are also decisive”.The challenge for R&d in the food sec-tor is to strike the right balance between the aspects which manufac-turers believe are important and the aspects that are important to con-sumers: cost savings, health, environ-ment and quality. “Innovation is all about finding an original enzymatic formulation that satisfies each of these requirements”.

R&d in situ

Biotechnobel conducts its research activities over at the laboratories of its industry partners. At the Espace Ber-thelot in Forest the company only has offices. “This is where we write out the protocols, but the actual work is per-formed on location, over at the cus-tomer’s premises”. This method of operation allows Biotechnobel to save on equipment and staffing expendit-ures, enabling the company to focus

its investments on research and de-velopment.

This tack also makes for a very close-knit collaboration with the customer, whose own lab technicians perform the analyses and tests under Biotech-nobel’s direction. “This has the added benefits that we are working under ac-tual production conditions and that the customer is automatically trained in

the process”. Biotechnobel’s flexibility and eagerness to bring a global ap-proach to problems also helps them earn the loyalty of their partners.

steP bY steP

Today, Biotechnobel exports over 80 % of its services, largely to the rest of

Europe and the Middle East. Many in-dustrial food groups have representa-tion in Belgium. “having someone local to speak to is a precious advant-age”, Saeid Bathaei goes on to add, whilst also stressing the efficacy of the Belgian commercial attachés posted abroad.

Biotechnobel also works with Brus-sels food expertise centre BRUCEFo on a regular basis. Moreover, the com-pany is delighted with the sheer num-ber of Belgian manufacturers of in-gredients and additives. “This gives us plenty of scope for any number of partnerships we could set up, provided we put in a fair amount of time and en-ergy”. Biotechnobel is seeking to de-velop new products and expand its customer portfolio, but without rush-ing or getting ahead of themselves. “If it’s a choice between size and per-formance, we’ll take the second option any day”.

www.biotechnobel.com

innovation is all about finding an original enzymatic formulation that satisfies each of these requirements.


32

fRoM suGaR to Pea and CHiCoRY inGRedients

The history of the Cosucra group dates back to 1852 when the sugar refinery of warcoing was set up. So as to en-sure self-sufficiency in Europe, the European Community imposed pro-duction quotas in 1968, which were run down again in 2006. In the meantime, the hainaut business diversified and restructured.

By the mid-1980s, in tandem with its long-standing sugar beet processing activities, Cosucra had also embarked on the extraction of the fructose from chicory roots. A few years later, the business also tapped into another new raw material namely yellow pea, which it managed to break down into three components: protein, starch and fibre. In 2003, the next step was to stream-line its sugar division which was merged with the Iscal Sugar group.

“our core business is the transforma-tion of locally sourced agricultural products into food ingredients”, Jacques Crahay explains, whilst going on to specify that the extraction and re-fining of the ingredients involve strictly physical, not chemical, processes.

The business’s customers are the vari-ous sectors of the food industry seek-ing to rebalance their products by en-

riching them in fibre or vegetable protein content. Cosucra’s solutions are highly rated in a wide number of foodstuff varieties, especially those aimed at sports enthusiasts, senior cit-izens, vegetarians, infants, etc.

PeRManent innovation

Cosucra was the first to start using chicory roots as a source of dietary fibres, even though the company is now made to contend with other competit-ors. The company also acted as a pion-eer in the separation of pea seed.

Today, the group is the world leader in pea proteins, thanks to its flagship product dubbed Pisane®. In order to meet the increasingly growing number of orders coming in, Cosucra has just inaugurated a new production unit, which has been up and running since the start of 2015, representing a 30 million EUR investment.

The vegetable nature of Pisane® makes the product increasingly more appeal-ing compared to animal proteins. As such, Pisane® has a greatly reduced impact on the environment in compar-ison with proteins sourced from anim-als, which require more energy input - a matter which consumers are increasingly aware of. “As our sales are B2B, awareness in the food industry

founded in 1852

based in Warcoing

230 employees

turnover (2014): circa 80 million euR


Winner of the “family business award of excellence 2014”

inteRvieW WitH

Jacques Crahay, CEO

our core business is the transformation of locally sourced agricultural products into food ingredients.

CoMPanY

Cosucra

CateGoRY

ingredients

ReGion

Wallonia


33

also needs to be raised as to the use of cleaner ingredients”, Jacques Crahay underscores. In terms of cost too, ve-getable proteins are seen to beat an-imal proteins hands down.

with consumers now increasingly more sensitive to these ecological and eco-nomic arguments, taste remains cru-cial. This is why Cosucra has set up a project which it feels is vital: to en-hance the flavour of its proteins by making them taste more like milk pro-tein, which the human palate has been accustomed to since times imme-morial.

“Cosucra is an innovator in terms of its products, but also in terms of its raw materials, processes and its applica-tions”, Jacques Crahay affirms. The group is committed to developing new chicory varieties and has become in-volved with European pea seed pro-grammes. All production processes are designed within the company and are improved on a regular basis, both in terms of yields and in terms of qual-ity. Cosucra is also constantly re-searching applications to gear its in-gredients to the prevailing trends in the global food industry.

india and CHina as foCal Points

The group currently employs 230 staff at two adjacent production sites. Turnover is just under 80 million EUR, fanned by a very healthy 5% average annual growth.

Cosucra has a network of distributors in over 40 countries. They are firmly committed to the company’s ingredi-ents brands, that are now used in close to 1,500 food products. “our ex-port sales are colossal”, Jacques Cra-hay states. “Sales in Belgium account for less than 8 %”. half of our turnover is effected within the European Union, with the remainder deriving from overseas exports, mainly to north America and the Asian countries.

For the years ahead, Cosucra’s sales efforts are set to focus on conquering the Indian and Chinese markets. “Building long-term relationships of trust is a labour of endurance“.

loCal and faMilY values

In december 2014, Cosucra won the “Family Business Award of Excellence 2014”, which served to underscore the family group’s exemplary manage-ment.

Among the competitive advantages Belgium has to its bow, Jacques Cra-hay cites our natural, logistical and human resources. “we greatly depend on our local region for our raw mater-ial supplies”. Chicory, whose moist roots need to be processed quickly, is harvested within a 50 km range. For peas, Cosucra also deals with suppli-ers in the north of France where they are grown on a large scale. The raw materials are delivered by inland barges across the river Scheldt, which is a cheaper and less polluting than carriage by truck.

The business’ research efforts are the

fruit of shared efforts with the Univer-sities of gembloux, louvain-la-neuve and ghent, the Institute for Agricul-tural and Fisheries Research (IlVo) and the Institut Meurice (Brussels).

As the former chairman of FEVIA wal-lonia (the walloon division of the na-tionwide Belgian Food Industry Asso-ciation) and the current chairman of the wagralim Agro-Industry Cluster, Jacques Crahay also applauds the dy-namic of the Belgian food sector as seen in the way FEVIA operates and in the “Food.be - Small country. great food.” campaign.

www.cosucra.com

Cosucra is an innovator in terms of its products, but also in terms of its raw materials, processes and its applications.


34

unKnoWn Global niCHe PlaYeR

Taura is a global player in the niche of concentrated & texturised fruit which is obtained by extracting water from semi-liquid fruit materials. The com-pany is able to do so with 150 different types of fruit and even honey. “our business may not be well known to the general public, but that is the fate of every B2B player. It’s a role we feel comfortable with.” says head of Sales & Marketing EMEA Peter Forceville. Taura largely owes the fact that it has been able to work its way up to be-come one of the number one compan-ies in the sector to its innovation drive.

ultRa RaPid ConCentRation

one of the things that makes Taura unique is its proprietary process en-abling the company to process fruit purée into small pieces or paste in less than a minute at a rate of 1500 up to 2000 kilos per hour. This process, known as Ultra Rapid Concentration, comes with two major benefits. The speed of the process delivers consid-

erable cost efficiencies. In addition, the flavour is much more pronounced than that of freeze-dried fruit, with the product remaining a natural source of antioxidants, rich in fibre.

Taura’s pieces and pastes are used in a wide variety of different products. nat-ural fruit snacks, breakfast cereals and bars, biscuits, pastries, chocol-ate… Just some of Taura’s high-profile roster of customers include nestle, Mondelez, Jules destrooper, Kellogg’s,

and a good few more. “we’re able to secure the loyalty of large companies through our reliability. we have cus-tomers that process our products at a rate of 500 kg per hour. So you need to deliver a product that is highly consist-ent as well as easy to process”, For-ceville explains.

teCHniCal touRs de foRCe

Taura prides itself on the fact that it un-relentingly seeks out ways to deliver innovation throughout the entire man-ufacturing process, creating added value for its customers. To achieve this aim, the company has more staff work-ing in product development than it does in sales. In spite of the fact that the Ul-tra Rapid Concentration technology was developed around two decades ago, it remains very much at the cut-ting edge. For all that, the technology only serves as a jump-off point. Taura is continuing to experiment with fla-vours, shapes, nutrients, textures... on a daily basis. what is more, innovation does not always need to be technically complex - it could just as easily revolve around innovation on the market.

one example of a technical tour de force accomplished by Taura is a paste with a very high fruit content and ex-treme low moisture for use in a corn-flake (also referred to as pillow). In the so-called open ended bars too, fruit paste is a challenge due to the uneven expansion of dough and the paste. Taura assists its customers to effect a more even change in dough and paste alike by making adjustments to the paste, which makes for a more effi-cient production line and a cheaper

incorporated: parent company around 1973, belgian branch in 1996

location: olen in belgium and tauranga in new zealand

Workforce: circa 140 worldwide, half of which in belgium

investments: most recently the cold moulding technology

turnover: 40 million euR

share of export sales in turnover: circa 97 %

sales of 7500 tonnes of finished product worldwide per annum

Part of the frutarom Group since july 2015

inteRvieW WitH

peter Forceville, Head of Sales & Marketing EMEA

it makes me feel good to know that youngsters are growing up on healthy snacks, in part thanks to our products.

CoMPanY

taura

CateGoRY

ingredients

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finished product. Similarly, the com-pany is continuing to innovate through the addition of extra ingredients, such as quinoa in the fruit pieces found in breakfast cereals, although this could just as easily be rice or magnesium.

Taura is wholly committed to bringing a response to the trend of the natural fruit snack, based on the principle: no compromise, pure fruit. As such, they have recently poured considerable in-vestments into moulding technology, which allows the fruit pieces to be moulded into tiny figures. This pur-posive investment will cement Taura’s position as a product leader in this fast-growing market. “But it also makes me feel good to know that youngsters are growing up on healthy snacks, in part thanks to our products”, says Forceville.

WoRldWide MaRKet and PRoduCt leadeR

Taura is not just a product leader. Since the turn of the century it has also been the market leader. The com-pany has a global market share of around 25 % in its chosen segment of concentrated & texturised fruit, ef-fecting a turnover in the region of 40 million euros. Taura is operating in a market that is growing at a rate of 6 to 8 % each year, and the company’s am-bition is to at the very least keep up with the market growth rate. half of its turnover is generated out of Belgium, the other half by its sites based in the US and new Zealand.

Taura is highly coveted at international level, thanks to its innovative disposi-tion. Around 97 % of the turnover de-rives from export sales. The Belgian branch is responsible for sales in Europe, the Middle East and South

America, whereas the colleagues in new Zealand focus on the Asia-Pacific region and the American sales office on north America. “By itself, we are not particularly more interested in the Belgian market than in any of the other markets”, Forceville explains, “because, ultimately, everything is highly entwined. Products we export to the United Kingdom in part are ulti-mately also seen to return in the fin-ished products that end up on Belgian shelves.”

For now, Europe - including the United Kingdom - represents the lion’s share of the turnover effected out of Bel-gium. The years ahead will see the

company place additional focus on South America and the Middle East. The sales team that operates from Belgium is chiefly in touch with the large business customers. In a num-ber of countries, Taura calls on the services of local partners to get a bet-ter understanding of specific local regulations and preferences. These differences are also substantial within Europe. “Even South America behaves more like a single market than Europe”, posits Forceville.

The fact that Taura is based in Bel-gium to work the European market provides the company with a series of strong suits. In all cases, the central location at the heart of Europe and the proximity of the Port of Antwerp lend the company a competitive edge. The availability of duly motivated and well trained staff is another factor, as are the multilingual skills of these mem-bers of staff. what is more, Taura can rely on the support from organisations

such as Flanders Investment & Trade, with which it has closely co-operated from the earliest stages.

www.tauraurc.com

Products we export to the united Kingdom in part are ultimately also seen to return in the finished products that end up on belgian shelves.


36

fRoM MinneaPolis to bRussels

Established by dave Fischbein in 1910 in Minnesota, the eponymous American company initially sold industrial sewing machines for the textile industry. After the Second world war, the business ex-panded its operations to include bag sewing closing solutions. not satisfied with the conquest of their vast national market, Fischbein’s sales representat-ives travelled the world, with their port-able machines under their arms, aware of the potential of their innovation. “A remarkable marketing case”, according to René Bontemps.

In 1956, the Fischbein family set up its European hub in Brussels. “This de-cision was warranted by the proximity of the European decision-making centres as well as by the language and technical skills of the labour market”, René Bon-temps explains. “Belgian competitive advantages are still relevant”.

leadeR in baG ClosinG teCHnoloGY

with a century of experience, in terms

of quality Fischbein has become today the worldwide reference in its sector of activity i.e. the design and manufactur-ing of machines to close “open mouth” bags.

Fischbein machines are used in a large number of industries as they are adap-ted to chemical and pharmaceutical products, construction materials, min-erals... Provided that they are dealing with dry foodstuffs, Fischbein ma-chinery is used by an abundance of businesses in the food industry for raw or already processed agricultural products such as potatoes, vegetables, flour, cereals, sugar, rice, coffee... The bags which can be closed with the Fischbein technology range from 500 g to 50 kg and are of paper, jute, nett, plastic or multi-layers.

The company has three main bag clos-ing methods: by sewing, by sealing and by gluing. “we are probably the world leader in the sewing technology. I say probably, as there are no industry stat-istics for this particular microseg-ment” explains René Bontemps. “nine times out of ten, the potato bag you buy at the supermarket was sewn with a Fischbein machine sold in Belgium”.

incorporated in the united states in 1910

HQ for the eastern Hemisphere based in brussels since 1956

employs 28 staff in belgium, 200 across the globe

exports to over 75 countries

Part of the duravant Group

inteRvieW WitH

rené Bontemps, Vice-President - General Manager

®

A DURAVANT COMPANY

this decision was warranted by the proximity of the european decision-making centres as well as by the language and technical skills of the labour market. belgian competitive advantages are still relevant.

CoMPanY

Fischbein

CateGoRY

production equipment

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37

The company has engineered three types of sealers with the upshot of highly advanced technical researches. These sealers differ in the way the heat is transferred (convection, conduction or radiation). For some customers who require a double closure, Fischbein can even combine several technolo-gies to strengthen the safety, the sift-proofness and the food preservation.

a vaRied and lonG-teRM Clientele

As the headquarters of the Eastern hemisphere division, Fischbein Brus-sels handles sales across four contin-ents: Europe, Asia, Africa and oceania. It is backed by several branch offices in germany, France, the UK and in Singapore.

In some markets, essentially European, the group likes to keep a close and dir-ect contact with its customer base to which it sells products directly. In other places, the company trains and regu-larly informs a dynamic network of au-thorised dealers which it keeps in-formed on a regular basis.

From the small farmer to the giant in-dustrial food company, Fischbein has some 250 to 300 active customers (that is to say, who have ordered ma-chines in the last twelve months) in Belgium and several tens of thou-sands around the world. The company

also supplies oEMs (original equip-ment manufacturers), which incorpor-ate Fischbein bag closing machines in automated production lines.

In addition to the sale of equipment, Fischbein also provides an efficient and fast after-sales service, thanks to experienced technical engineers. It also supplies spare parts and con-sumables, such as sewing thread.

innovation tHRouGH CustoMisation

“Fischbein stands out from the com-petition by constantly remaining at the cutting edge of technology when adapt-ing its products. The proof is that we are often monitored and copied”, states René Bontemps. Paying close attention to its customers’ requirements, the company makes a point of meeting the requests of each of them. he mentions a few examples of recent technical ad-vances developed by Fischbein, such as the twin-needle sewing head, the rotary knife, flap folding systems, the air evacuation system to prevent food spoilage and facilitate the transport, the bag top cooler to speed up the seal-ing process. “All of these innovations are variations of the standard machine, originally designed for the American

market, and subsequently adapted to suit the varied and different needs of the other markets. The “Europeanisa-tion” of Fischbein machines takes place in Brussels”.

Fischbein is a member of duravant, a group based in Chicago, which be-longs to a private equity group. obvi-ously René Bontemps cannot reveal all the projects of Fischbein, although he mentions that a programme to de-velop innovative products in the three main corporate offices is under way: in the United States, in the United King-dom and in Belgium.

To enhance its visibility, Fischbein par-ticipates in big packaging trade fairs, such as Interpack in düsseldorf, the Salon de l’Emballage in Paris, Ipack-Ima in Milan and hispack in Barcelona.

Already exporting to over 75 countries, Fischbein international will focus on the most promising geographical ter-ritories: Eastern Europe, the Maghreb countries, Sub-Saharan Africa and the Asian continent. “The further interna-tionalisation of the business world continues to offer magnificent oppor-tunities to grow”.

www.fischbein.com/eastern

fischbein stands out from the competition by constantly remaining at the cutting edge of technology when adapting its products.


38

fRoM diGital validation to Global desiGn

gdTech agency (global design Tech-nology) was set up in 1998 to deliver services in the area of the digital valid-ation of new products. The analyses performed allow for virtual simula-tions to be created of the physical be-haviour of mechanical structures and systems, thereby reducing the num-ber of prototypes and trials required during the development stage.

having said that, the business’s ser-vices have expanded over time to in-clude computer-assisted design (CAo), the fabrication and testing of equipment, writing up technical docu-mentation, etc.

Today, gdTech brings a comprehens-ive service offering aimed at the devel-opment of new products, either at its

own offices or on location at the cus-tomer’s premises, as a service pro-vider, project manager or on a con-sultancy basis. The company works in partnership with a wide number of walloon businesses of renown such as CMI, Sonaca, Techspace Aero, etc.

The group has 115 employees, most of whom are engineers, who are scattered across the company’ headquarters at the heart of the liège Science Park, its liège subsidiary open Engineering and its French site in the Pau region (Bordes) and the Paris region (Buchelay). The network is rounded out with a sales agency in Milan.

gdTech covers a wide range of areas of activity: aeronautics, transport, de-fence, nuclear industry, etc. Moreover, the company is a world leader in the validation of industrial and road safety equipment.

foCus on tHe food seCtoR

gdTech has set up a department that focuses on the development of innov-ative lighting solutions which draw on micro-lEd technology. As the owner of the VElIRE project (Vegetable light Recipes) which was launched by the walloon Centre of Competitiveness Excellence wagralim, gdTech is hop-ing to add the food industry to the line-up of sectors to benefit from its ex-pertise.

“The VElIRE project revolves around designing new horticultural lighting methods intended to step up the prof-itability of crops by reducing the en-

the marriage between engineers and botanists is a novel practice […], the complementarity of the two can prove fruitful.

set up in 1998

Registered office based in angleur at the liège science Park

2 subsidiaries: open engineering (belgium) and Gdtech france sas

3 offices: bordes, buchelay (france) and Milan (italy)

115 staff

turnover (2014): 11 million euR


awards: Marianne de Cristal, Gazelles trends-tendances

Certifications: iso 9001 and en 9100

inteRvieW WitH

guy Janssen, CEO

CoMPanY

gDtech

CateGoRY


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39

ergy expenditures and by improving the quality of the products”, guy Janssen explains. “In the world of hor-ticulture, crop profitability is directly linked to the lighting regime the plants are exposed to “.

The first tests already look very prom-ising, with gdTech’s lEd strips driving down the energy consumption levels needed to secure basil plants of equal size by 60 %. what is more, the growth cycle too - which is usually around 3 weeks - has been cut by a few days.

To refine the research efforts, gdTech is working with the Vegetable Physiology Institute of liège Univer-sity, which has a phytotron, a device capable of simulating various climatic scenarios by changing the atmo-spheric parameters. This will enable gdTech to examine effect of varying micro-lEds’ wavelenghts in greater depth.

gdTech has also called on the ser-vices of the gembloux University and an agricultural engineer. “The mar-riage between engineers and botan-ists is a novel practice. In the past, these disciplines failed to work to-gether and combine their expertise. If you know about the benefits of biomi-metics (the engineering of living or-ganisms that seeks to draw on the solutions and inventions produced by nature) - guy Janssen refers to the invention of Velcro and the production of mushrooms on ground coffee as a medium -, the complementarity of the two can prove fruitful”.

“on the one hand, the VElIRE project should allow us to market a first scal-able lEd lighting rig intended for sci-entific research into the light spec-trum”, explains guy Janssen. “on the other hand, in due course this should also enable us to put a new range of

lighting units intended for green-house or indoor horticulture on the market”.

suCCessful in belGiuM, fRanCe and beYond

gdTech’s micro-lEd technology will make it possible to efficiently com-pensate for the lack of natural light which Belgian producers are made to contend with. If the scope of the VE-lIRE project does not extend beyond the borders for the time being, with trials being held only in walloon greenhouses, its export potential is very considerable, in the same way as applies to the other innovations de-signed by gdTech.

In March 2015, gdTech was awarded the Marianne de Cristal. Sponsored

by the Chamber of Commerce and In-dustry France–Belgium-wallonia, the award pays tribute to businesses that are doing especially well in trading with France. having previously won the same award back in 2003, gdTech is also the first company to take home the award for the second time.

“For businesses that are looking to innovate or undertake exports, Bel-gium offers a wide range of options to assist them in their endeavours”, guy Janssen affirms, citing the walloon Region’s dgo6 (operational general directorate for the Economy, Employ-ment and Research) as well as AwEX (wallonia Export & Investment Agency), they opened the doors to new markets for gdTech in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, north Amer-ica and Australia.

www.gdtech.eu

for businesses that are looking to innovate or undertake exports, belgium offers a wide range of options to assist them in their endeavours.


40

faM & HiffeRMan GRouP

In 1997, FAM decided to partner up with Stumabo International nV to co-alesce into the hifferman group. FAM focuses on the design, development and assembly of cutting machines, al-beit without a typical manufacturing unit. Stumabo on the other hand is a typical manufacturing company, which starts out with a steel strip and bar stock, which it then goes on to ma-chine from start to finish into precision blades for the food industry. one of its

biggest customers is FAM. “Both busi-nesses are inextricably linked in the areas of innovation and sales branches”, explains Mark Van hemel-rijk, the CEo of the two companies.

niCHe

FAM’s product range includes 20 of its latest models of machines used for the cutting of food products in one of four primary market segments (fresh, blanched, prepared or frozen). In nu-merous sectors, including French fries and cheese, FAM’s machines hold an uncontested market leadership position. In sectors where hygiene is paramount, such as cheese, the company consist-ently appears as the top performer thanks to its substantial investments in food safety compliance with the most stringent regulations worldwide.

Many of its customers are highly-ad-vanced conglomerates, world leaders that slice and process products at a rate of several tonnes per hour 24/7. global players such as Bonduelle,

danone, Materne, Croky Chips, Pizza hut, McCain and many more are pat-rons of the company that is firmly rooted in Flanders. Precisely because FAM operates in a niche market, spe-cialisation and specialist know-how are paramount. “what we do is all about knowledge retention and the transfer of knowledge. Know-how is what enables a plant to survive. whether that plant is based in Flanders or somewhere in China is no longer an element that is going to make the difference”, Van hemelrijk goes on to say.

KnoW-HoW as a PRoduCt

FAM goes to considerable lengths in its knowledge-gathering drive. Every- thing starts out with the cutting ma-chines themselves, of which all the components are outsourced to high-tech companies mostly inside the Be-nelux. The blades, which are the most crucial component of the machines, are supplied by Stumabo, which just recently doubled its floor surface area to set up a world class R&d centre. In the wake of a short-lived adventure in Asia, it was decided to keep the pro-duction of its blades in Belgium, to secure the quality as well as the know-how behind them.

This in-depth know-how relating to the machines is supplemented with a due understanding of the market, which means that as good as every single machine that goes out is tailored exactly to the needs of the customer. For instance, some coun-tries want thicker-sliced fries, whilst elsewhere they want them thinner. In

faM: part of the Hifferman Group, along with stumabo

incorporated: around the second World War

location: Kontich

exports: present in 72 countries

Workforce: 95 across the Hifferman Group as a whole

turnover: 23 million euR (Hifferman Group)

inteRvieW WitH

Mark Van Hemelrijk, FAM and Hifferman Group CEO

Customers don’t come to us just to buy cutting equipment, they come to us for our knowledge about the products involved.

CoMPanY

Hifferman group

CateGoRY


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41

addition, other parameters are factored into the equation, such as the size of the intended machine operat-ors: on average, operators in Asia tend to be a fair size smaller than their European counterparts. But things do not stop at that either.

The vast knowledge about markets and machines (“know-how”) is now being further expanded to include “know-about” about the products pro-cessed by these machines. To this end, FAM recently recruited a chem-ical engineer to enable the company to gain a better understanding of its cus-tomers’ products and putting it in a better position to advise them. To name just one example: Chinese strawberries have a different consist-ency to those in Belgium thus requir-ing different cutting conditions. “Cus-tomers don’t come to us just to buy cutting equipment, they come to us for

our knowledge about the products in-volved”, Van hemelrijk contends. which explains why FAM not only runs an R&d-cum-test centre of close to 2,000 square metres in Kontich, but also 11 test labs scattered across the globe to test local products under local conditions.

All knowledge is recorded, centralised and administered from Kontich. This knowledge database is vital. The com-pany is currently in the process of de-veloping a technology hub to effect-ively put this wealth of knowledge it has gathered to good use as part of training courses for the benefit of agents, distributors and its own staff. FAM also secures its intellectual prop-erty by means of international patents to assert its market leadership posi-tion. Additionally, the company is in-creasingly resorting to non-disclosure agreements under which it develops

new products together with and ex-clusively for specific customers.

undeRstandinG YouR CustoMeRs

These customers are based in 72 countries, typically countries with a western-oriented food culture, or at the very least where food is processed. “The culture-specific aspect of sales is underrated by many companies. It is not just the product in itself, but equally the culture and the customer that are important. My impression is that this is something of a hurdle for most businesses”, Van hemelrijk says. which is why FAM’s export strategy fa-vours a more tailored approach, built around a mix of company branch of-fices, sales networks through agents, and cooperative affiliations such as in China and India. As such, South-East Asia is a major growth market to FAM, as are Central Asia and the Caucasus. That said, Europe continues to remain the backbone and principal market, representing around two thirds of the company’s turnover.

Even though FAM is a business with a distinct international focus, the fact remains that a number of its leading customers are Belgian. This is not a coincidence, Van hemelrijk believes. “Even more so than the geographical location, the entrepreneurial spirit of Belgian, often west Flemish, compan-ies operating in the food industry is key to this success. They have man-aged to make a name for themselves and become global players.” A track record which family-owned busi-nesses like FAM and Stumabo can re-late to and feel comfortable with.

www.fam.be www.stumabo.com www.hifferman.be

the culture-specific aspect of sales is underrated by many of companies. it is not just the product in itself, but equally the culture and the customer that are important. My impression is that this is something of a hurdle for most businesses.


42

Constant GRoWtH …

Agristo is a manufacturer, and global service provider of frozen potato products for the private labels of su-permarkets and the catering in-dustry (schools, restaurants, hospit-als, etc.). As a family-owned business, Agristo expanded to be-come a global player, with a ‘best-in-class’ reputation. In order to un-derpin its growth drive, with a 300 % production increase over a decade, the business premises of Agristo, which evolved from a harelbeke ag-ricultural company, were trans-formed into an industrial estate. The sites in Tilburg (the netherlands) and the Belgian town of nazareth are managed out of the harelbeke headquarters.

… WitH innovation as tHe dRivinG foRCe

The manufacturing process for cut and frozen potato products requires a great deal of technology. Agristo produces up to 25 tonnes of fries per hour, with the products adjusting

from 180 degrees to minus 15 de-grees Celsius in just 20 minutes’ time. “needless to say, we are not the only company to process pota-toes, but we are endeavouring to stand out especially in the area of innovation”, Production director Kristof wallays affirms. which ex-plains why the business has four members of staff working at product innovation full time.

From the very outset, Agristo delib-erately focussed on the private label market. The supermarkets, which represent around two thirds of the company’s turnover, are increasingly pushing their unbranded own-label products into the spotlight. The premium brands have made up for this through innovation, in which most private labels were seen to trail behind. This is why retailers are now expecting the suppliers of their own label brands to come up with innovative ideas as well. with fries now a staple food product across the European Union, the market had stopped growing. This is something which Agristo quickly spotted, and in response it targeted this area, from which it is now reaping the benefit.

one example of innovation is making products healthier. given the right coating, a plate of oven-baked fries will give the quality and crispiness of a bowl of deep-fat fried fries a run for its money. This seems to have set in motion the switch from deep-fried products to oven-baked products once for all. Moreover, innovation does not need to stop at the coating. “once you apply a coating to a potato, you can also start adding herbs, which takes you to products such as

potato wedges with herbs and spices”, wallays explains.

As the market for fries has pretty much reached its saturation point in the European Union, Agristo has also greatly focused on speciality products supplied by its nazareth plant, where mashed and chopped products are made, for example potato rosti, hash browns, potato


location: Harelbeke (HQ), nazareth (belgium) and tilburg (the netherlands)

Workforce: around 400 across the three sites

Production growth: 300 % over ten years

turnover: circa 250 million euR


Winner of the 2014 export lion award

inteRvieW WitH

Kristof Wallays, Production Director

We are endeavouring to stand out especially in the area of innovation.

CoMPanY

agristo

CateGoRY

Conservation techniques

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43

croquettes, potato noisettes … To stay ahead of the competition, the company is experimenting with spices and different shapes on an ongoing basis, with the results of these efforts enabling supermarkets to launch a separate premium range as part of their own brand.

tailoR-Made eXPoRts

This approach also has an impact on the markets where Agristo is seeing its biggest growth. In England, there is a huge demand for innovation, and the speed with which this innovation is expected to be delivered substan-tially raises the bar high. “It is no co-incidence that we occupy a very solid position across the Channel with a quarter of our turnover going to the UK”, says wallays. The company ob-tains almost all of its turnover through export sales, a third of which is outside Europe. The European customer accounts, which are often very significant in size, are managed by the Belgian sales team.

outside Europe, the choice is often one between importers and distrib-utors on the one hand, and traders on the other. “with our local part-ners we set out to find the right match. If that match is not there, or if the country is too much of a risk, we will sooner work with traders”, wallays clarifies. Implementing this differentiated approach means Ag-risto is now present in no less than 117 countries. In a large number of these countries, the company even occupies the market leadership pos-ition, from Bulgaria to Peru.

This kind of international approach requires adaptability, in terms of tastes and shapes. All markets have

very different expectations, includ-ing inside Europe. The requirement for fries will differ from one country to the next. Fries in germany are a much lighter colour than in France, whereas in Scandinavia expecta-tions in the area of health go way beyond what is expected in the Bel-gian chip shop culture. But things such as packaging for instance also need to be adapted to the local mar-kets as residents of developing countries tend to have smaller freezer compartments than in Europe.

loCation as a CoMPetitive advantaGe

The nearby ports of Rotterdam but especially Antwerp enable Agristo to export its products cost-effectively across the globe. “In our case, a container of frozen fries shipped to Rio works out cheaper than dis-patching a lorry with fries to Bar-celona.” In other respects too, Bel-gium turns out to be a good home base. “Ever since we had the dioxin affair, Belgian businesses have been very much at the forefront when it comes to food safety and quality as-surance systems. This has become a major competitive advantage.”

what is more, Belgium sits at the heart of the so-called potato belt, which includes the north of France, Belgium, the netherlands and part of germany. nowhere else in the world potato yields are higher than in this stretch of Europe. In addition, the local potato farmers have a huge wealth of know-how that is handed down from one generation to the next. As such, some years ago the Belgian potato industry took over the number one position as the world’s

biggest exporter of frozen potato products from the netherlands. To raise greater awareness of this suc-cess story, industry organisation Belgapom is working to hitch the Belgian fries wagon onto the Bel-gian beer and chocolate locomotive. As far as Agristo is concerned, the promotion of “Belgian fries” at the 2015 world Exhibition in Milan is certainly a great way to get the ball rolling.

www.agristo.com

ever since we had the dioxin affair, belgian businesses have been very much at the forefront when it comes to food safety and quality assurance systems. this has become a major competitive advantage.”


44

ensuRinG food safetY

galactic got under way some twenty years ago in a disused sugar refinery in the Tournai region. nowadays, the group is a world reference in the field of lactic fermentation.

lactic acid forms in the human body and is able to kill pathogenic bacteria. It can be used in a wide range of differ-ent applications and is used in clean-ing products, cosmetics, solvents but also in many foodstuffs (meat, bread, dairy products, sweets, etc).

“lactic acid is obtained by fermenting sugar. galactic reproduces this pro-cess on a large scale by putting lactic bacteria into reaction vessels that produce the acid by the dozens of thousands of tonnes”, Frédéric van gansberghe explains. “we then sell it to companies that use it as a natural preserving agent to extend the shelf life of their commodities”.

with the market for lactic acid just about reaching the point of maturity, galactic has embarked on the devel-

opment of other preservatives that re-volve around the fermentation of en-zymes or propionic or acetic acid. These natural products all share the same purpose: to eliminate bad bac-teria and ensure optimum food safety.

on to MoRe tHan 80 CountRies

By expanding its range of products, galactic is able to deliver its custom-ers tailored solutions. Their needs and requirements differ greatly in consid-eration of the type of food involved, the length of shelf life sought, but also on the cold chain in place. “whatever the parameters, we make it a point of honour to deliver natural solutions at all times”, Frédéric van gansberghe emphasises.

galactic’s products are supplied dir-ectly to the company’s biggest indus-trial customers such as Viangro, Pur-atos and Ter Beke. other than that, our products are sold to food compan-ies in over 80 countries around the world through local distributors. In addition to its historic Escanaffles site, galactic also runs two further


Registered office at escanaffles

3 production sites: escanaffles, bengbu (China), Milwaukee (united states)

3 sales offices: brussels, tokyo (japan) and Curutiba (brazil)

Galactic innovation Campus in brussels

140 staff in belgium, 400 staff around the globe

turnover (2014): 70 million euR

share of export sales in turnover > 90 %

inteRvieW WitH

Frédéric van gansberghe, Managing Director

CoMPanY

galactic

CateGoRY


ReGion

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45

food production plants: one in China, the other in the United States. The company’s growth strategy also relies on its R&d centre in Brussels as well as three sales offices (Brussels, Tokyo and Curutiba).

innovate to stand out

As the world’s number 2 in lactic acid, the galactic group stands proud from its competitors thanks to its innovation drive. This has seen the business de-velop products that combine antimi-crobial and antioxidant properties as part of the Polygal project, which has the support of wagralim. “For a pre-serving agent to be efficient, it not only needs to eliminate the bacteria and be irreproachable in terms of food safety, it also needs to maintain the appeal of the food product concerned by pre-venting it from oxidising”.

Another example is seen in the com-pany’s “clean labelling” efforts. Even though lactic acid is a natural food ad-ditive, its E270 E-number as part of the European nomenclature system has a chemical connotation which puts con-sumers off. galactic has developed a range of products which are all based on the fermentation of sugar, but without refining. doing so means they are labelled as “fermented sugar”.

Frédéric van gansberghe makes a point of underscoring the various Fed-eral and Regional government grants galactic has benefitted from over the years and which covered a large por-tion of the company’s investments.

“our R&d centre, galactic Innovation Campus, is the key tool in our develop-

ment strategy. Thanks to the Campus’s laboratories that are packed with state-of-the-art technology, we will be able to continue to develop innovative natural solutions intended for the food market “.

belGiuM, an eXCellent PRoduCtion Hub

“Belgium is an excellent production hub. It is home to a plethora of scien-tifically qualified people: microbiolo-gists, electromechanical engineers, geneticists… The cosmopolitan nature of Brussels allows us to surround ourselves with a multilingual sales team who are able to sell our products in a wide number of faraway countries in the customer’s language. The coun-try’s location and logistical position is

every bit as marvellous, thanks to the ports of Antwerp and Zeebrugge.

Moreover, we pride ourselves in the in-tensive collaboration we have in place with the research centres and univer-sities dotted around Belgium. “This enables galactic to develop and test its new products with local partners before we start exporting them”, Frédéric van gansberghe explains, cit-ing Puratos as a case in point for the bakery sector.

galactic is looking to pursue its growth along two main thrusts. For one thing, the group is keen to ramp up its pro-duction volume across all three sites. For another, on the strength of the success of its lactic acid products, galactic is eager to round out its range based on molecules obtained through fermentation as “the natural solution per excellence for food safety”.

www.lactic.com

our R&d centre, Galactic innovation Campus, is the key tool in our development strategy.

belgium is an excellent production hub. it is home to a plethora of scientifically qualified people.


46

fResHeR tHan fResH

As the former chef of “Café des Spores”, a Brussels-based restaurant entirely dedicated to mushrooms, Phil-ippe Emanuelli came up with the idea for Supersec at a time when he was finding it increasingly more difficult to source fresh wild quality produce from market gardeners.

harking back to tradition, he managed to find an alternative: drying. “Moving forward also means looking back”, he says. Before the current ‘fresh’ tyranny, seasonal or highly perishable produce underwent specific treatments for the purpose of preservation. These treat-ments drew on methods proffered by mother nature, tradition and technical advances: ash, salt, smoke, sun, wind, cold, metal tins…

drying turned out to be a highly effi-cient solution. It lastingly puts a stop to the natural decomposing process that is brought on by the water contained in the aliments. drying preserves the fla-vours and nutritional properties and even allows for the produce to be con-centrated. “without water, the products are fresher than if they were fresh”. Considering that mushrooms contain

80 % to 90 % water, the benefits of dry-ing seem compelling.

In addition, no one in their right mind would disagree with the notion that transporting water is an economic and ecological absurdity. As drying signific-antly slashes logistical outlays, this prompted Philippe Emanuelli to ex-plore regions further afield for his sup-plies. In the mountains in the northern part of greece, he hit on what turned out to be a veritable El dorado for mushroom lovers: the Pindos natural Park, which has protected status as a “biogenetic reserve”.

Bankrolled by Xavier denis, an associ-ate who is a member of the financial community, Philippe Emanuelli came up with the Supersec brand name to present “an unprecedented and ori-ginal gastronomic experience that makes sense”. The Belgian company was set up in december 2011.

eXPloRinG neW HoRizons

“The productivity of mother nature is directly linked to its level of biod-iversity”, Philippe Emanuelli says.

inteRvieW WitH

philippe emanuelli, co-founder

incorporated in december 2011

Registered office based in brussels

3 employees and 2 working partners

turnover (2014): 270,000 euR


2012 enterprize award winner

CoMPanY

Supersec

CateGoRY


ReGion

Brussels


47

“Preserving the produce of mother nature means going for real return”.

After the mushrooms, he took an in-terest in seafood products gathered from the Iroise Marine natural Park in

his home turf of Brittany. he also cites the plants found in the mountains of the gaspé Peninsula in Canada and the fruit from the primeval forests in Bur-undi.

To source the produce of these unique ecosystems, Supersec minutely selec-ted its suppliers. “They are difficult to find but they have a wealth of stories to tell. we maintain strong and lasting re-lationships with these people”. what is more, the company puts these produ-cers in touch with each other so they can share and exchange skills and come up with new ideas.

Philippe Emanuelli specifies that all drying operations are made to occur on location, right after they have been harvested as to fixate and concentrate the flavours and nutrients to optimum effect, using techniques that are adap-ted to the local environment (curing kilns, solar ovens, geothermics, etc).

drying gives us a certain leeway in the way we works, thanks to a fair length of time between producer and consumer. “This gives us the time we need to pub-licise the products here in Belgium”.

GoodWill toWaRds belGians

Supersec does a sterling job of the way it presents its products in original

packaging with a touch of “humour à la belge”. “The off-beat wit of our by-lines is making waves, especially in France. The Belgian identity we lend our products is a strength as it en-ables us to reap the benefit of a con-

siderable degree of goodwill right from the outset”.

From its incorporation, Supersec was able to benefit from the assistance of Brustart (investment company for start-up businesses) in the form of a loan, as well as subsidies put up by Brussels Invest & Export to recruit staff. “Being based in the Tanneurs quarter, which is a real nursery for sustainable businesses, is support in itself already”, Philippe Emanuelli comments.

The range of products put out by Su-persec is expanding little by little and currently includes mushrooms, sea-weed, fruit, biscuits, pasta, flours, in-fusions… the products, which come with culinary recipes, are available to be ordered online or purchased from the shop.

The clientele is made up of private consumers, but also of businesses from the Food & Beverage industry, retailers such as fine and organic gro-cery shops, as well as several chain stores such as naturalia, Bio Planet, globus and délitraiteur.

over half of the company’s sales de-rive from exports, mainly to France. Supersec’s products are also sold in germany and Switzerland.

GReat to eat, GReat to KnoW

“As with every small organisation, it’s a lot of paddling at the beginning to make little headway”, Philippe Emanuelli confides. Constantly keep-ing abreast of new ecosystems, Su-persec is hoping to conduct an all-out Belgian project. “Belgium is brimming with agricultural products of unbelievable quality and diversity, like potatoes, apples and sugar beets. great to eat, as well as great to know “. harnessing our local treas-ures through the process of drying is part of Supersec’s growth ambitions - a step that requires “sufficiently participative producers “.

www.supersec.com

belgium is brimming with agricultural products of unbelievable quality and diversity. Great to eat, as well as great to know.

the belgian identity we lend our products is a strength as it enables us to reap the benefit of a considerable degree of goodwill right from the outset.

DireCtory of C MPanies

DireCtory of C MPanies

directory of companies

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3M BElgIUM, BVBA 1831 dIEgEM Flanders www.3m.be •

A. SChUlMAn PlASTICS 2880 BoRnEM Flanders www.aschulman.com •

AAK 2170 MERKSEM Flanders www.aak.com •

ABn ClEAnRooM TEChnology 3740 MUnSTERBIlZEn Flanders www.abn.be •

ABRAMo 8550 ZwEVEgEM Flanders www.abramo.be • •

ACEMAl 1402 nIVEllES wallonia www.acemal.com •

AdIFo 9990 MAldEgEM Flanders www.adifo.com •

AgRISTo 8531 hARElBEKE-hUlSTE Flanders www.agristo.com •

AgRo AlBERT InTERnATIonAl 5020 SUARlEE wallonia www.agralbert.com •

AJInoMoTo oMnIChEM, nV 9230 wETTEREn Flanders www.ajinomoto-omnichem.com • •

AJInoMoTo oMnIChEM, SA 1348 loUVAIn-lA-nEUVE wallonia www.ajinomoto-omnichem.com • •

AlBERT PREMIER ChoColATERIE, nV 1651 loT-BEERSEl Flanders www.albertpremier.be •

AldIA 9700 oUdEnAARdE Flanders www.aldia.be •

AlgIST BRUggEMAn, nV 9000 gEnT Flanders www.algistbruggeman.be •

AlVEy, nV 9700 oUdEnAARdE Flanders www.alvey.be •

AMIFood 4101 JEMEPPE-SUR-MEUSE wallonia www.amifood.eu •

AMInolABS By EURoFood BElgIUM, nV 3500 hASSElT Flanders www.aminolabs.com •

AMPI 4280 hAnnUT wallonia www.ampi.be •

AMS BElgIUM, BVBA 3740 BIlZEn Flanders www.amsrobotics.com •

AnTwERP BAKERy 2900 SChoTEn Flanders / •

ARdo 8850 ARdooIE Flanders www.ardo.com •

ARIAKE EURoPE, nV 3630 MAASMEChElEn Flanders www.ariake-europe.com •

ARodo, BVBA 2370 AREndonK Flanders www.arodo.com •

AROMA'SLECOCQ 3520 ZonhoVEn Flanders www.lecocqflavours.com •

ARTEChno 5032 ISnES wallonia www.artechno.be •

ARTVEndUM 8000 BRUggE Flanders www.artvendum.com •

ASEPTIC TEChnologIES, SA 5032 ISnES wallonia www.aseptictech.com •

ASTRA SwEETS 2300 TURnhoUT Flanders www.astrasweets.com •

ATElIERS BonTE, BVBA 3000 lEUVEn Flanders www.bonteateliers.be •

ATElIERS dE ConSTRUCTIon gUy FER-RARI & FIlS 7822 ghISlEnghIEn wallonia www.ferrari.be •

ATlAnTIC EngInEERIng 9850 nEVElE Flanders www.atlantic-engineering.be •

This directory is not exhaustive.

For more information please contact Flanders Investment & Trade (FIT), Brussels Invest & Export, wallonia Export & Investment Agency (AwEX) or the Belgian federations (see Chapter 1, Section 5).


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ATlAS CoPCo BElgIUM, nV 3090 oVERIJSE Flanders www.atlascopco.be •

AUTAJon PACKAgIng BElgIUM 1070 BRUSSElS Brussels www.autajon.com •

B By B 8000 BRUggE Flanders www.bbyb.be •

BAREnTZ, nV 1930 ZAVEnTEM Flanders www.barentz.com •

BARRy CAllEBAUT BElgIUM, nV 9280 lEBBEKE Flanders www.barry-callebaut.com •

BARÚ 3590 dIEPEnBEEK Flanders www.baru.be •

BE dElICIoUS 8630 VEURnE Flanders www.bedelicious.be •

BECKhoFF AUToMATIon, BVBA 3500 hASSElT Flanders www.beckhoff.be •

BEgRo 8850 ARdooIE Flanders www.begro.be •

BElBERRy PRESERVES 8500 KoRTRIJK Flanders www.belberry.com • •

BEldoS 2900 SChoTEn Flanders www.beldos.be •

BElFInE 9160 loKEREn Flanders www.belfine.com •

BElgIAn ICE CREAM gRoUP - B.I.g. 2460 TIElEn Flanders www.ijsboerke.be •

BElgIAn IndUSTRIAl MAChInES, BVBA 2450 MEERhoUT Flanders www.bimpackaging.com •

BElgIAn SwEETS And ChoColATES 9111 SInT-nIKlAAS Flanders www.belgiansac.eu •

BElgoMIlK 9120 KAllo Flanders www.belgomilk.be •

BEloRTA SKw 2860 SInT-KATElIJnE-wAVER Flanders www.belorta.be •

BEloURThE 4180 hAMoIR wallonia www.belourthe.be •

BEloVo FlAndERS 8793 SInT-ElooIS-VIJVE Flanders www.bnlfood-bnc.com •

BEnEo-oRAFTI, SA 4360 oREyE wallonia www.beneo.com •

BEnEo-REMy, nV 3018 lEUVEn-wIJgMAAl Flanders www.beneo.com •

BEnS RETAIl 9700 oUdEnAARdE Flanders www.bensretail.be •

BEPhARBEl MAnUFACTURIng 1040 BRUSSElS Brussels www.bepharbel.com •

BETEC, nV 2220 hEIST-oP-dEn-BERg Flanders www.betecnv.be •

BIolInE EURoPE 2200 hEREnTAlS Flanders www.bioline.be •

BIoRES 4000 lIEgE wallonia www.liegebiomed.com •

BIoTEChnoBEl 1190 BRUSSElS Brussels www.biotechnobel.com •

BIoXTRACT 5032 lES ISnES wallonia www.bioxtract.com •

BISCUITERIE SEghERS 9140 TEMSE Flanders www.biscuits.be •

BISCUITERIE ThIJS 2288 gRoBBEndonK Flanders www.biscuiteriethijs.be •

BISCUITS BoFIn 2580 PUTTE Flanders www.biscuits-bofin.be •

BKS 4800 lAMBERMonT wallonia www.bks.be •

BlUA 9450 hAAlTERT Flanders / •

BondUEllE noRThERn EURoPE 8610 KoRTEMARK Flanders www.bonduelle.nl •

BRASSERIE dE l'ABBAyE dU VAl dIEU 4880 AUBEl wallonia www.val-dieu.com •

BRASSERIE dES lEgEndES 7801 IRChonwElZ wallonia www.brasseriedeslegendes.be •

BRASSERIE dUBUISSon FRERES 7904 PIPAIX wallonia www.br-dubuisson.com •

BRASSERIE dUPonT 7904 ToURPES wallonia www.brasserie-dupont.com •

BRASSERIE lEFEBVRE 1430 QUENAST wallonia www.brasserielefebvre.be •

BREydEl / VlEESwAREn AnTonIo 9890 gAVERE Flanders www.breydel.be •

BÜhlER BEnElUX, BUIV 2800 MEChElEn Flanders www.buhlergroup.com •


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BUVA VlEESwAREn 3530 hoUThAlEn Flanders www.buva.be •

CACAolAB 9940 EVERgEM Flanders www.cacaolab.be •

CAllAS ConFITURE 9000 gEnT Flanders www.callasconfiture.com •

CAlUwE dEMAndE PRAlInES 2160 woMMElgEM Flanders www.cdchocolates.com •

CAnd'ART 3740 BIlZEn Flanders www.candart.com •

CAPRA 3545 hAlEn Flanders www.capra.be •

CARgIll ChoColATE BElgIUM, SA 7700 MoUSCRon wallonia www.cargillcocoachocolate.com •

CARgIll, nV 2030 AnTwERPEn Flanders www.cargill.be •

CARMEl holdIng 2030 AnTwERPEn Flanders www.carmel-bv.com •

CARMInA 2100 AnTwERPEn Flanders www.chocolateriecarmina.be •

CAVAlIER 9900 EEKlo Flanders www.cavalier.be •

CBS, SPRl 1020 BRUSSElS Brussels www.cbsbrew.com •

CEnTho - ChoColATES 3080 TERVUREn Flanders www.centho-chocolates.com •

CERES 1130 BRUSSElS Brussels www.ceres.be •

ChAInES ET PRESSES lIEgEoISES PoUR l'IndUSTRIE 4340 oThEE wallonia www.cpl-industrie.be •

ChIMAy TRAdITIon 6464 BAIlEUX wallonia www.chimaytradition.be •

ChoColATE woRld 2018 AnTwERPEn Flanders www.chocolateworld.be •

ChoColATERIE CARRÉ 8552 ZwEVEgEM Flanders www.chocolateriecarre.be •

ChoColATERIE dE SChUTTER 9160 loKEREn Flanders www.chocolaterie-de-schutter.be •

ChoColATERIE dIAnE 9160 loKEREn Flanders www.chocolateriediane.be •

ChoColATERIE hERMES 9600 RonSE Flanders www.chocolaterie-hermes.be •

ChoColATERIE lIMAR 2300 TURnhoUT Flanders www.limarchocolates.com •

ChoColATERIE SMET 2920 KAlMThoUT Flanders www.smet.be •

ClAREBoUT PoTAToES 8950 nIEUwKERKE Flanders www.clarebout.com •

ClAyTon oF BElgIUM, nV 2880 BoRnEM Flanders www.clayton.be •

ColAC, BVBA 2390 MAllE Flanders www.colac.be •

ColUMBUS PARAdIgM InSTITUTE 1410 wATERloo wallonia www.bnlfood.com •

ConFIdAS 9031 gEnT Flanders www.confidas.com •

ConFISERIE ElISE 9170 SInT-gIllIS-wAAS Flanders www.chocelise.be •

ConFISERIE lEonIdAS 1070 BRUSSElS Flanders www.leonidas.com •

ConFISERIE RIAl 8552 ZwEVEgEM Flanders www.rial-lolly.com •

ConFISERIE RoodThooFT 2018 AnTwERPEn Flanders www.roodthooft.be •

ConFISERIE ThIJS 9100 SInT-nIKlAAS Flanders www.confiserie-thijs.com •

ConFISERIE VAn dAMME 9230 wETTEREn Flanders www.vandammegroup.com •

ConFISERIE VAndEnBUlCKE 8501 KoRTRIJK Flanders www.vandenbulcke.com •

ConTEC, CVBA 2030 AnTwERPEn Flanders www.contec.be •

CoRMACo 4845 SART-lEZ-SPA wallonia www.cormaco.com •

CoRMAn 4834 goE wallonia www.corman.be •

CoSUCRA gRoUPE wARCoIng 7740 wARCoIng wallonia www.cosucra.com •

CRÈME dE lA CRÈME BElgIUM 3500 hASSElT Flanders www.cremedelacreme.be •


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CRoP'S 8710 ooIgEM Flanders www.crops.be •

CRown-BAElE, nV 1840 londERZEEl Flanders www.crown-baele.com •

CRV CoRThoUTS 3290 dIEST Flanders www.belkorn.com •

CSM BEnElUX, nV 2170 MERKSEM Flanders www.csmbakerysolutions.com •

CUlInoR 9070 dESTElBERgEn Flanders www.culinor.com •

dAMhERT 3550 hEUSdEn-ZoldER Flanders www.damhert.be •

dAnATEl 4870 TRooZ wallonia / •

d'ARTA 8850 ARdooIE Flanders www.darta.com •

dE ChoColAdEKAAI 1000 BRUSSElS Brussels www.frederic-blondeel.be • •

dE hoBBIT 9990 MAldEgEM Flanders www.hobbit.be •

dE REZE BISCUIT ChoColATE, BVBA 3583 BERIngEn Flanders www.annafaggio.com •

dE SMET EngInEERS & ConTRACToRS 1410 wATERloo wallonia www.dsengineers.com •

dE VlAEMInCK IVAn En Zoon 9970 KAPRIJKE Flanders www.devlaeminck.be •

dE wUlF VlEESwAREn 9880 AAlTER Flanders www.dewulf.com •

dElAFAIllE 9120 BEVEREn Flanders www.dellafaille.be •

dElIPAn 8870 IZEgEM Flanders www.delipan.be •

dElITRUFF 2930 BRASSChAAT Flanders www.delitruff.be •

dElIVA 3600 gEnK Flanders www.deliva.be •

dElTA EngInEERIng, BVBA 9500 gERAARdSBERgEn Flanders www.delta-engineering.be •

dEly wAFElS 7700 MoUSCRon wallonia www.dely.be •

dERKEnnE-CoUlInE 4671 BARChon wallonia www.llbg.com •

dESMET BAllESTRA gRoUP, nV 1930 ZAVEnTEM Flanders www.desmetgroup.com •

dESoBRy 7500 ToURnAI wallonia www.desobry.be •

dESSERT FACToRy 4530 VIllERS-lE-BoUIllET wallonia www.dessertfactory.be •

dETRy 4880 AUBEl wallonia www.detry.com •

dEVE 9400 nInoVE Flanders / •

dg PRo-TEC, BVBA 9320 EREMBodEgEM Flanders www.dgprotec.com •

d'hAUBRy 8500 KoRTRIJK Flanders www.dhaubry.com •

dICogEl-BEgRo, nV 8850 ARdooIE Flanders www.dicogel.be •

dIllS 3001 lEUVEn Flanders www.dills.be •

dIMABEl 8900 IEPER Flanders www.dimabel.be •

dIRAFRoST FRoZEn FRUIT IndUSTRy 3540 hERK-dE-STAd Flanders www.dirafrost.com •

d'lIS Food 3290 dIEST Flanders www.dlisfood.com •

doBBElS MEAT 8770 IngElMUnSTER Flanders www.dobbelsmeat.be •

doSSChE MIllS 9800 dEInZE Flanders www.dosschemills.com •

dU BARRy 9041 gEnT Flanders / •

dUFInA 9920 loVEndEgEM Flanders www.dufina.be •

dUJARdIn FoodS 8851 ARdooIE Flanders www.dujardin-foods.com •

dUVA 8552 ZwEVEgEM Flanders www.duva.be •

ECI 6900 MARloIE wallonia www.eci-colostrum.com •

ECoMEC BElgIUM 1420 BRAInE-l'AllEUd wallonia www.ecomec.be •


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ECoPlA BEnElUX, SPRl 4040 hERSTAl Flanders www.ecopla.be •

ECo-VIdA 1130 BRUSSElS Brussels www.lebonpain.be • •

EgEMIn, nV 2070 ZwIJndREChT Flanders www.egemin-automation.com •

EM CREATE ConCEPT 1150 BRUSSElS Brussels www.a3acube.com • •

EndRESS + hAUSER, SA-nV 1140 BRUSSElS Brussels www.be.endress.com •

EnSIVAl - MoRET - dEPlEChIn 7500 ToURnAI wallonia www.em-pumps.com •

EnZyBEl 4530 VIllERS-lE-BoUIllET wallonia www.enzybel.be •

ERnEll 9140 TEMSE Flanders www.ernell.be •

ETABlISSEMEnTEn JoSEPh SoUBRy 8800 RoESElARE Flanders www.soubry.com •

ETABlISSEMEnTS CollIn - lUCy 5555 BIEVRE wallonia www.collin-lucy.com •

ETABlISSEMEnTS FR. ColRUyT 1500 hAllE Flanders www.colruyt-export.com •

ETABlISSEMEnTS J. PAUlUS 4841 wElKEnRAEdT wallonia www.paulusblades.com •

ETS. hEnRI BloEMEndAl En Zoon 9160 loKEREn Flanders www.bicobel.be •

EURoFREEZ 8972 PoPERIngE Flanders www.eurofreez.com •

EURo-SwEETS 2600 AnTwERPEn Flanders www.eurosweets.be •

EXTEnSE PhARMA 1380 lASnE wallonia www.extense-pharma.be •

FAg CREATIVE FoodS 8400 ooSTEndE Flanders www.fag.be •

FARM FRITES BElgIUM 3920 loMMEl Flanders www.farmfrites.com •

FAVoRIT 1880 KAPEllE-oP-dEn-BoS Flanders www.favorit.be •

FERME dE BERTInChAMPS 5030 gEMBloUX wallonia www.bertinchamps.be •

FESTo BElgIUM, nV 1030 BRUSSElS Brussels www.festo.be •

FInASUCRE - ISCAl SUgAR 1160 BRUSSElS Brussels www.finasucre.com • •

FInEX 9940 EVERgEM Flanders www.finexbelgium.be •

FISChBEIn 1070 BRUSSElS Brussels www.fischbein.com •

FlAndERS BAKERy 8400 ooSTEndE Flanders www.fgbb.be •

FoodPAIRIng 8310 BRUggE Flanders www.foodpairing.com •

FRIAndA 4040 hERSTAl wallonia www.frianda.be •

FRIESlAndCAMPInA BElgIUM 9880 AAlTER Flanders www.frieslandcampina.com •

FRIMA 8400 ooSTEndE Flanders www.frimaeurope.com •

FUJI oIl EURoPE 9042 gEnT Flanders www.fujioileurope.com •

gAlACTIC 7760 ESCAnAFFlES wallonia www.lactic.com • •

gAlAnA 8790 wAREgEM Flanders www.galana.be •

gAllER - ChoColATIERS 4041 MIlMoRT wallonia www.galler.com •

gdTECh 4031 lIEgE wallonia www.gdtech.eu •

gEA PRoCESS EngInEERIng, nV 2800 MEChElEn Flanders www.geap.be •

gEERInCK - VAn ACKER 9100 SInT-nIKlAAS Flanders / •

gEnERoUS 1070 BRUSSElS Brussels www.generous.eu •

gERnAl 7780 CoMInES wallonia www.gernal.be •

ghl gRoUPE 4880 AUBEl wallonia www.ghlgroupe.be •

glACIo 2340 BEERSE Flanders www.glacio.com •

gold MEAT BElgIUM 3550 ZoldER Flanders www.goldmeat.be •


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gRAnd BElgIAn SPECIAlITIES 2630 AARTSElAAR Flanders / •

gREEnyARd FoodS 9042 gEnT Flanders www.greenyardfoods.com •

gRIFFITh lABoRAToRIES, nV 2200 hEREnTAlS Flanders www.griffithlaboratories.com •

gRoEP TEUgElS 2550 KonTICh Flanders www.groep-teugels.be •

gUdRUn CoMMERCIAl 2500 lIER Flanders www.chocolates.be •

gUInA 1830 MAChElEn Flanders www.guina.be •

hACoS 2390 MAllE Flanders www.hacos.com •

hAndARy 1180 BRUSSElS Brussels www.handary.com •

hAySTACK InTERnATIonAl 3001 lEUVEn Flanders www.haystack-international.com •

hEdElAB 7011 ghlIn wallonia www.hedelab.be •

hERBAFRoST 2235 hUlShoUT Flanders www.herbafrost.be •

hERVE - SoCIETE 4650 hERVE wallonia www.herve-societe.be •

hIFFERMAn gRoUP 2550 KonTICh Flanders www.hifferman.be •

hoMIFREEZ 8850 ARdooIE Flanders www.homifreez.com •

hoRAFRoST, nV 8840 STAdEn Flanders www.horafrost.be •

ICKX VERKooP 2910 ESSEn Flanders www.choc-ickx.be •

IFM ElECTRonIC, nV-SA 1731 ZEllIK Flanders www.ifm-electronic.be •

Iglo BElgIUM 1620 dRogEnBoS Flanders www.iglo.be •

IKA VlEESwAREn 9260 SERSKAMP Flanders www.ikaham.be •

IMCd BEnElUX, nV 2800 MEChElEn Flanders www.imcdgroup.com •

IMPERIAl MEAT PRodUCTS 9920 loVEndEgEM Flanders www.imperial.be •

InCoPlAS-IndUSTRIE ET CoMMERCE PLASTIQUE 1170 BRUSSElS Brussels www.incoplas.com •

IndUSTRIAl RoBoTICS AUToMATIon 4520 VInAlMonT wallonia www.ira.be •

InEX 9520 BAVEgEM Flanders www.inex.be •

IngRIZo, nV 9840 dE PInTE Flanders www.ingrizo.com •

InTRIon, nV 1654 hUIZIngEn Flanders www.intrion.com •

IPS BElgIUM 1400 nIVEllES wallonia www.group-ips.com •

ITS-RoBoTICS 7822 ghISlEnghIEn wallonia www.axymatic.com •

IZICo BoCholT 3950 BoCholT Flanders www.izicosnacks.com •

JAC 4000 lIEgE wallonia www.jac-machines.com •

JACQUESIJS 2260 wESTERlo Flanders www.jacques-ice.com • •

John BEAn TEChnologIES, nV 9100 SInT-nIKlAAS Flanders www.jbtcorporation.com •

JongERIUS TEChnology, nV 2950 KAPEllEn Flanders www.j-tec.com •

JUST ICE 9700 oUdEnAARdE Flanders www.just-ice.be •

KARnEX - VAndEn BoRRE 9700 oUdEnAARdE Flanders www.tradelio.be •

KIM'S ChoColATES 3300 TIEnEn Flanders www.kimchoc.be •

KIPCo-dAMACo 8780 ooSTRoZEBEKE Flanders www.kipcodamaco.com •

KIToZyME 4040 hERSTAl wallonia www.kitozyme.com •

KlIngElE ChoColAdE 9940 EVERgEM Flanders www.klingelechocolade.be •

KoEKJESFABRIEK BEKAERT 8560 wEVElgEM Flanders www.bekaert-biscuits.com •


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lA loRRAInE BAKERy gRoUP 9400 nInoVE Flanders www.llbg.com •

lABoRAToIRE dIETlIFE 1040 BRUSSElS Brussels www.laboratoire-dietlife.com •

lABoRAToIRES oRTIS 4750 ElSEnBoRn-BÜTgEn-BACh wallonia www.ortis.com •

LABORATOIRESPHARMACEUTIQUESTREnKER 1180 BRUSSElS Brussels www.trenker.be •

lAMAIRE BARTS PoTATo CoMPAny 8640 VlETEREn Flanders www.lamaire.com •

lAMBREChTS KonSTRUKTIE, nV 2870 RUISBRoEK Flanders www.lambrechts-group.be •

lAMMEnS - Edno VlEESwAREn 9260 wIChElEn Flanders www.edno.be •

lAnTMÄnnEn UnIBAKE londERZEEl 1840 londERZEEl Flanders www.pastridor.be •

lAnTMÄnnEn UnIBAKE MoUSCRon 7700 MoUSCRon wallonia www.pastridor.be •

lAUREnT gERBAUd ChoColATIER 1000 BRUSSElS Brussels www.chocolatsgerbaud.be •

lESSInES IndUSTRIES 7600 PERUwElZ wallonia www.lessinesindustries.com •

lEyCo 2880 BoRnEM Flanders www.leyco.be •

lIlly'S CAKES 9170 SInT-gIllIS-wAAS Flanders www.lillyscakes.be •

lIon PRodUCTS 2820 BonhEIdEn Flanders www.lionproducts.eu •

lITTlE Food 1060 BRUSSElS Brussels www.littlefood.org •

loTUS BAKERIES CoRPoRATE 9971 KAPRIJKE Flanders www.lotusbakeries.com •

lUToSA 7900 lEUZE-En-hAInAUT wallonia www.lutosa.com •

M CARE - SlIM SlAnKER 2600 AnTwERPEn Flanders www.slimslanker.be •

M.I.K. 9770 KRUIShoUTEM Flanders www.mik.eu •

MAdÉCASSE 1950 KRAAInEM Flanders www.madecasse.com •

MARCo-BETh 9800 dEInZE Flanders www.marcobeth.be •

MARElEC Food TEChnologIES, BVBA 8620 nIEUwPooRT Flanders www.marelec.com •

MARInE hARVEST PIETERS 8000 BRUggE Flanders www.marineharvest.com •

MC CAIn FoodS BElgIUM 2280 gRoBBEndonK Flanders www.mccain.be •

MC Food SERVICE 4910 PollEUR wallonia www.mc-foodconcept.be •

MEAT SUPPly 9160 loKEREn Flanders www.hamboerke.be •

MElI 8630 VEURnE Flanders www.meli.be •

MEllow PARTy 9170 SInT-gIllIS-wAAS Flanders www.mellow-party.be •

MERoSo FoodS 1880 KAPEllE-oP-dEn-BoS Flanders www.meroso.be •

MESTdAgh 8630 VEURnE Flanders www.mestdagh-artisan.be •

METARoM BEnElUX 1190 BRUSSElS Brussels www.metarom.be •

MEURA 7600 PERUwElZ wallonia www.meura.com •

MEUREnS nATURAl 4650 hERVE wallonia www.meurensnatural.com •

MEylAnd, nV 9991 AdEgEM Flanders www.meyland.be •

MIlCoBEl 9120 KAllo Flanders www.milcobel.be •

MIlIonI 6180 CoURCEllES wallonia www.milioni.be •

MoRA 2400 Mol Flanders www.mora.be • •

nACTIS BEnElUX nV 2900 SChoTEn Flanders www.nactis.com •

nAlIM 4040 hERSTAl wallonia www.nalim.be •


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nAUTA'S VlEESwAREn 1730 MollEM-ASSE Flanders www.nautabvba.be •

nEwTREE 1160 BRUSSElS Brussels www.newtree.com •

noBlE ChoColATES 8630 VEURnE Flanders www.noble-chocolates.com •

nolIKo 3960 BREE Flanders www.noliko.be •

noyEn 9940 EVERgEM Flanders www.noyen.be •

nUTRABEl 7870 CAMBRon ST VInCEnT wallonia www.nutrabel.com •

nUTREX 2275 lIllE Flanders www.nutrex.be •

oBJECTIVE BElgIUM, BVBA 9260 wIChElEn Flanders www.objt.com •

o-I EURoPE, SARl 1050 BRUSSElS Brussels www.o-i.com •

olEon, nV 9940 ERTVEldE Flanders www.oleon.com •

olyMPIA 1540 hERFElIngEn Flanders www.olympiadairy.be •

oXylEnT 7822 ghISlEnghIEn wallonia www.oxylent.be •

P.g. BRUSh 4800 VERVIERS wallonia www.pgbrush.be •

PAAS Food IndUSTRIES 3630 MAASMEChElEn Flanders www.paasfoodindustries.com •

PACKo InoX, nV 8210 ZEdElgEM Flanders www.packo.com •

PAJoTTEnlAndER 1670 PEPIngEn Flanders www.pajottenlander.be •

PARABolIC BIologICAlS 1320 BEAUVEChAIn wallonia www.bioparabolic.com •

PARTy PARTnERS 9820 MERElBEKE Flanders www.choc-o-lait.be •

PASFRoST 8980 ZonnEBEKE Flanders www.pasfrost.be •

PASTIFICIo dEllA MAMMA 4040 hERSTAl wallonia www.pastadellamamma.be •

PATTyn PACKIng lInES, nV 8000 BRUggE Flanders www.pattyn.com •

PhIBo IndUSTRIES 9600 RonSE Flanders www.phibo.be • •

PIERRE MARColInI gRoUP 1130 BRUSSElS Brussels www.marcolini.be •

PIngUIn lAngEMARK 8920 lAngEMARK Flanders www.pinguinfoods.com •

PInSon BISCUITERIE 8630 VEURnE Flanders www.pinsonbiscuits.be •

PlUKon ConVEnIEnCE olEn 2250 olEn Flanders www.maiski.be •

PolCA 8870 IZEgEM Flanders www.polca.be •

PoMUnI FRoZEn 2520 RAnST Flanders www.pomuni.com •

PoPPIES InTERnATIonAl 8980 ZonnEBEKE Flanders www.poppies.com • •

PoRTIon PACK BElgIUM 2200 hEREnTAlS Flanders www.portionpack.be •

PRAlIBEl 8570 AnZEgEM Flanders www.pralibel.be •

PRAyon 4480 EngIS wallonia www.prayon.com •

PRoCEll 7850 EnghIEn wallonia www.procell-nutrition.com •

PRoTEIFood 7850 EnghIEn wallonia / •

PUR nATUR 9770 KRUIShoUTEM Flanders www.purnatur.eu •

PURAToS 1702 gRooT-BIJgAARdEn Flanders www.puratos.be •

PURolAToR AdVAnCEd FIlTRATIon, SA 4141 SPRIMonT wallonia www.purolator-afg.com •

QCHOCOLATE 9220 hAMME Flanders www.bianca-qchocolate.be •

QUALPRO 1730 ASSE Flanders www.lanouba.be •

QUOMAK 3001 lEUVEn Flanders www.quomak.be •

RAnSon 8530 hARElBEKE Flanders www.ranson.be •


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RITTAl, nV 9160 loKEREn Flanders www.rittal.be •

RoChEllo 1790 AFFlIgEM Flanders www.rochello.be •

RoElAndT 9240 ZElE Flanders www.roelandt.be •

RoUSSEloT, BVBA 9000 gEnT Flanders www.rousselot.com •

RoVACoS 1780 wEMMEl Flanders www.rovacos.be •

RUSSEll FInEX, nV 2800 MEChElEn Flanders www.russellfinex.com •

S.P.S. - SolUTIonS FoR PACKAgIng And SERVICES 6000 ChARlERoI wallonia / •

SAlM InVEST 6220 FlEURUS wallonia www.salminvestgroup.be •

SAVAT 9620 ZoTTEgEM Flanders www.savat.com •

SChEPERS VlEESBEdRIJF 3570 AlKEn Flanders www.schepersnv.com •

SEAMCo, nV 2520 oElEgEM Flanders www.seamco.be •

SEnSIEnT FlAVoRS BIolUX 1130 BRUSSElS Brussels www.sensientbio.com •

SETRACo 8630 VEURnE Flanders www.setraco.be •

SEw-EURodRIVE, nV 3001 hEVERlEE Flanders www.sew-eurodrive.be •

SIEMEnS, nV-SA 1654 hUIZIngEn Flanders www.siemens.be •

SlUyS InTERnATIonAl 2570 dUFFEl Flanders www.sluys.eu •

SMET PRodUCTIonS 2920 KAlMThoUT Flanders www.smetproductions.be •

SnACK Food PoCo loCo 8800 RoESElARE Flanders www.pocoloco.be •

SnICK EURoIngREdIEnTS nV 8020 RUddERVooRdE Flanders www.snick.be •

SolAE BElgIUM, nV 8900 IEPER Flanders www.solae.com •

SolInA BElgIUM, Ag/nV 9810 ElKE-nAZARETh Flanders www.solina-group.eu •

SolVAy 1120 BRUSSElS Brussels www.solvay.com • •

SoUPART ETS. 7911 BUISSEnAl wallonia www.fours-soupart.com •

SPIE BElgIUM, nV-SA 1070 BRUSSElS Brussels www.spie.be •

SPIRoMATIC, nV 9810 nAZARETh Flanders www.spiromatic.com •

ST. PAUl 9160 loKEREn Flanders www.st-paul.be •

STAR MEAl 2260 wESTERlo Flanders www.starmeal.com •

STARBRooK ChoColATE CoMPAny 2440 gEEl Flanders www.starbrook-airlines.com •

STASSEn 4880 AUBEl wallonia www.stassen.be •

STE MARIE ZUIVEl 2990 wUUSTwEZEl Flanders / •

STEPAJA 3001 lEUVEn Flanders www.stepa.be •

STRUIK FoodS BElgIUM 2900 SChoTEn Flanders www.struik.com •

SUPERSEC 1000 BRUSSElS Brussels www.supersec.com •

SwECo EURoPE 1400 nIVEllES wallonia www.sweco.com •

SwEET PACK 3920 loMMEl Flanders www.sweetpack.be •

SwEET-SwITCh 8820 ToRhoUT Flanders www.sweet-switch.com •

SynACo, nV-SA 4000 lIEgE wallonia www.synaco.com •

SyRAl BElgIUM, nV 9300 AAlST Flanders www.tereos-syral.com •

T BoERInnEKE 2890 SInT-AMAndS Flanders www.boerinneke-marino.be •

'T MUnCKEnEI 8750 wIngEnE Flanders www.munckenei.be •


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TAIgA InTERnATIonAl 2870 PUURS Flanders www.taiga-international.com •

TARAdon lABoRAToRy 1480 TUBIZE wallonia www.taradon-laboratory.com •

TAURA 2250 olEn Flanders www.tauraurc.com •

TER BEKE 6900 MARChE-En-FAMEnnE wallonia www.terbeke.be •

TER BEKE 9950 wAARSChooT Flanders www.terbeke.be •

ThE BAKERy dEVEloPMEnT 1160 BRUSSElS Brussels www.ellphi.com •

ThE BElgIAn ChoColATE gRoUP 2250 olEn Flanders www.thebelgian.com •

ThE FITZPATRICK CoMPAny EURoPE, nV 2070 ZwIJndREChT Flanders www.fitzpatrick.be •

ThE hUdSon-ShARP MAChInE CoMPAny, BVBA 1731 ZEllIK Flanders www.hudsonsharp.com •

ThE JAVA CoFFEE CoMPAny 3110 RoTSElAAR Flanders www.thejavacoffeecompany.be •

ThE lIPId CoMPAny 6600 BASTognE wallonia www.bnlfood-tlc.com •

ThEo BAUwEnS 9240 ZElE Flanders www.bauwensmeat.com •

ThT 5032 gEMBloUX wallonia www.tht.be •

TIEnSE SUIKERRAFFInAdERIJ 3300 TIEnEn Flanders www.raffinerietirlemontoise.com •

TM IndUSTRy 4530 VIllERS-lE-BoUIllET wallonia www.tmindustry.be •

ToMEgA 6870 ARVIllE wallonia www.tomega.be •

ToMRA SoRTIng 3001 lEUVEn Flanders www.tomra.com •

ToPS FoodS 2250 olEn Flanders www.topsfoods.com •

TPM 9001 5330 ASSESSE wallonia www.tpm9001.be •

TRAnSMEAT 1840 londERZEEl Flanders www.transmeat.be •

TREFIn 9160 loKEREn Flanders www.trefin.com •

UnIVEg 2860 SInT-KATElIJnE-wAVER Flanders www.univeg.com •

VAlEnTIno ChoColATIER 1703 dIlBEEK Flanders www.valentino.be •

VAn CRoMBRUggEn 2160 woMMElgEM Flanders www.vancrombruggen.be •

VAn gIlS dISTRIBUTIE 2381 wEEldE Flanders www.van-gils.be •

VAn REUSEl'S SnACKS 3930 hAMonT-AChEl Flanders www.vanreusel.be •

VAndEMooRTElE 9000 gEnT Flanders www.vandemoortele.com • •

VAndEPUTTE holdIng 7700 MoUSCRon wallonia www.vandeputte.com •

VAnEloR 9420 ERPE-MERE Flanders www.lalorraine.be •

VEBo 9700 BEVERE Flanders www.vebo.biz •

VEoS, nV 8750 ZwEVEZElE Flanders www.veos.be •

VERMEERSCh 1600 SInT-PIETERS-lEEUw Flanders www.vermeerschzuivel.be •

VERMEIREn PRInCEPS 2880 BoRnEM Flanders www.vermeirenprinceps.be •

VESAlE PhARMACEUTICA 5310 noVIllE-SUR-MEhAIgnE wallonia www.vesalepharma.com •

VEVIBA 6600 BASTognE wallonia www.veviba.be •

VITAl 1926 9850 nEVElE Flanders www.vital.be •

VITAlAC 3020 VElTEM Flanders www.vitalac.be •

VITAlInE 9200 dEndERMondE Flanders www.vitaline.nu •

VlEESwAREn CoRMA 9070 dESTElBERgEn Flanders www.ganda.be •

VlEESwAREn hoSTE 9990 MAldEgEM Flanders www.brugseham.be •


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VlEESwAREn l. MIChIElSSEn PRodUCTEn l.M.J. 2900 SChoTEn Flanders www.lmj.be •

VlEESwAREn PAUl PEETERS En ZonEn 2630 AARTSElAAR Flanders www.quality-salami.be •

VlEESwAREnFABRICATIE wIllIAM 1702 gRooT-BIJgAARdEn Flanders www.vleeswaren-william.be •

VlEESwAREnFABRIEK JAC. MIChIElS 2100 AnTwERPEn Flanders www.michiels-vleeswaren.be •

VlEESwAREnFABRIEK lUKA 1800 VIlVooRdE Flanders www.luka.be •

VlEESwAREnFABRIEK RoPA 3290 dIEST Flanders / •

VlEVy 9042 gEnT Flanders www.vlevy.be •

VolyS STAR 8860 lEndElEdE Flanders www.volysstar.be •

VondElMolEn 9280 lEBBEKE Flanders www.vondelmolen.be •

wAlAgRI 5140 SoMBREFFE wallonia www.walagri.be •

wEgRA, nV 3900 oVERPElT Flanders www.wegra.com •

wEIdMÜllER BEnElUX, BV 1930 ZAVEnTEM Flanders www.weidmueller.be •

wESTFRo 8840 STAdEn Flanders www.westfro.be •

wESTVlEES - BElgIAn PoRK gRoUP 8840 wESTRoZEBEKE Flanders www.westvlees.com •

yAKIMA ChIEF InC. 1348 loUVAIn-lA-nEUVE wallonia www.yakimachief.com •

ySCo 8920 lAngEMARK Flanders www.ysco.be •

ZAABAR BElgIUM 1060 BRUSSElS Brussels www.zaabar.be •


61

fiGuRes & CHaRts

CHaRt 1

KeY fiGuRes 2014 6

CHaRt 2

sHaRe of tHe food industRY in belGian foReiGn tRade in 2014 9

CHaRt 3

nuMbeR of fdi PRojeCts 16

fiGuRe 1

evolution of tHe foReiGn tRade of tHe food seCtoR (in billion euR) 8

fiGuRe 2

eXPoRt GRoWtH 8

fiGuRe 3

teRRitoRial sPRead of eXPoRts 9

fiGuRe 4

oveRseas eXPoRts aCCoRdinG to CountRY (in Million euR) 10

fiGuRe 5

bReaKdoWn of eXPoRts aCCoRdinG to PRoduCt GRouP 10

fiGuRe 6

sHaRe of PRoduCeRs WHo Have intRoduCed innovations (2010-2012) 12

fiGuRe 7

sHaRe of tHe tuRnoveR deRivinG fRoM neW PRoduCts 12

fiGuRe 8

doMestiC eXPendituRe on R&d (in Million euR at CuRRent PRiCes) 13

fiGuRe 9

doMestiC eXPendituRe on R&d (in % of sales Revenue) 13

fiGuRe 10

staff dediCated to R&d in tHe food seCtoR (in fte) 13

fiGuRe 11

noMinal and effeCtive CoRPoRate taX Rate 18

fiGuRe 12

total offiCe oCCuPanCY Cost (in euR/M²/YeaR) 19

Thank you

64

The Belgian Foreign Trade Agency wishes to thank the following contributors to this publication:

Agoria Food Technology club Ms debbie Thys

Business development Manager

wagralim Ms Isabelle grommet International & Communication Manager

FEviA Ms nadia lapage Manager International Business

vlAm Mr ludo willems director Promotion

wallonia Export & investment Agency Mr Jacques Jadoul ICT and Communication Manager

Mr Fabio Mauro Agri-Food department Manager

brussels invest & Export Ms Sophie d’haemer Export Promotion Project Manager

Flanders investment & Trade Mr Christophe Verhaeghe “Kennisopbouw Internationaal ondernemen” Manager Mr Renaat Van de Putte “Kennisopbouw Internationaal ondernemen” Manager

Fps Economy Ms Ann Verrelst

Attaché - dg Economic Analyses and International Economy - Service for Foreign Investments, Federal - Regional liaison Unit for Foreign Investment Ms Colette Vanstraelen Counselor - dg Economic Analyses and International Economy - Service for Foreign Investments

Fps Foreign Affairs Mr Karel Tousseyn

Advisor - dg Bilateral Affairs - office of Economic Interests

As well as the companies which have kindly agreed to give a testimonial.

Belgian Foreign Trade AgencyRue Montoyer 31000 BrusselsBelgiumT +32 2 206 35 [email protected] www.abh-ace.be

FPS Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Development CooperationRue des Petits Carmes 151000 BrusselsBelgium T +32 2 501 81 11 diplomatie.belgium.be

Flanders Investment & TradeBoulevard du Roi Albert II 371030 BrusselsBelgiumT +32 2 504 87 11www.flandersinvestmentandtrade.com

Wallonia Export & Investment AgencyPlace Sainctelette 21080 BrusselsBelgiumT +32 2 421 82 11www.awex.be

Brussels Invest & ExportAvenue Louise 500/41050 BrusselsBelgiumT +32 2 800 40 00 www.invest-export.irisnet.be

Documents

Belgian Innovative Food Solutions